AI won’t kill UI. Here’s why.

Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, recently declared that AI will make the user interface "go away." Just say what you want, and the right interface appears.

It’s a bold statement from a tech titan. But as a team that lives and breathes interface design every day, we think this vision misses something fundamental about the people using the technology: us. The reality is, AI won’t kill the UI.

The Limits of a Chat/Voice Conversation

Let’s imagine a future with zero UI.
The "just talk to it" future is compelling, but what does that actually look like day-to-day?

It starts with a simple bandwidth problem. We read much faster than we listen—most of us clock in around 200-300 words per minute, while natural speech is stuck at about 150 wpm. Listening to an AI read you a list of options is the slow lane compared to a quick scan of the screen.

Beyond pure speed, there’s the "firehose" problem. Speech is linear; it comes at you one word at a time. A visual interface, in contrast, is parallel. It can show you dozens of data points, navigation options, and status indicators all at once. With a screen, you can skim, compare, and multitask. With voice, you’re just stuck listening in order.

And finally, there's the simple reality of context. Voice is often just plain awkward. Do you really want to manage your finances or discuss a sensitive project by talking to your phone on a crowded train? Practicality and privacy are powerful forces that keep screens at the center of our digital lives.

Screens are actually great to get stuff done.

There's a reason graphical user interfaces (GUIs) have stuck around for decades.

For one, they offer incredible information density. A well-designed screen is a marvel, using text, icons, color, and layout to convey complex information in an instant. It’s the language of data visualization and dashboards, and it’s something voice can't replicate.

They also tap directly into our spatial memory. We don’t just remember a function; we remember where it is. The "Save" icon is top-left, the main menu is on the side. This creates a mental map that lets us navigate with minimal conscious effort, reducing cognitive load. A voice conversation has no "layout"; it erases this powerful cognitive shortcut.

And critically, GUIs provide precision and immediate feedback. Try editing a single cell in a spreadsheet or cropping a photo by voice—it’s a nightmare of approximation. With a GUI, you drag a slider and see the result in real-time. That tight loop of action and visual confirmation is essential for any task requiring fine-tuned control.

A new Interface for everything is a nightmare, not a dream come true.

The idea of AI generating a new interface for every single task sounds amazing in a demo, but it would be a usability nightmare.

We humans thrive on patterns and predictability. It’s what allows us to use a new app without reading a manual. As the experts at Nielsen Norman Group warn, an interface that changes every time you use it creates "constant relearning" and frustration. Predictability isn’t boring; it’s the foundation of trust and speed.

Pilots need a cockpit to fly the plane

AI is the most powerful tool we’ve ever had. It can handle the tedious work, surface insights, and personalize experiences. But it needs a cockpit—a clear, consistent, and intuitive interface—for the human pilot to make sense of it all and stay in control.

Our job as interface and interaction designers isn't going away. It's getting bigger. We’re no longer just designing what’s on the screen; we’re designing the entire interaction between human and machine. And in that partnership, the human interface is how the magic of AI, becomes useful.