Robot conversing with young man.
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I had a conversation with Terry Jones, the founding CEO of Travelocity and Chairman of Kayak, and he mentioned, “AI is the new UI” – which sparked a realization for me. We have been interacting with technology through screens, buttons, and menus for years. However, there is a significant shift happening where artificial intelligence is becoming the new user interface (UI). This change goes beyond chatbots; it involves AI becoming the primary mode of interacting with systems, data, and machines. For leaders in business, this shift presents an opportunity to rethink how their organizations engage with customers and operate internally.
GenAI Interfaces Are Taking Off
There is compelling evidence supporting this transformation. Leading companies in various industries are already adopting AI as their main interface with impressive outcomes. Johnson Controls, a global leader in building technologies, has integrated generative AI to interact with their industrial equipment. This innovative approach allows technicians and operators to communicate with complex systems using natural language, significantly reducing the learning curve and enhancing operational efficiency. Instead of navigating through multiple screens and technical manuals, staff can simply ask questions or give commands in plain English.
S&P Global, a financial intelligence giant, has embraced AI interfaces throughout their product suite. Traditional financial terminals and data dashboards are being augmented or replaced with conversational interfaces that enable analysts to query complex datasets, generate reports, and analyze market trends through natural language interactions. This shift has made advanced financial tools accessible to a broader range of users while meeting the functionality requirements of experts.
In the insurance sector, Jerry Insurance (www.getjerry.com) has transformed customer service by implementing GenAI for chat and text interactions. Customers receive faster and better answers, with 89% of processing handled by large language models instead of 100% human processing. This shift has led to significant cost savings and improved scalability, as the AI interface manages everything from policy inquiries to claims processing through natural conversation, enhancing customer satisfaction while lowering operational costs.
GenAI Is Moving Us From The Question Economy To The Answer Economy
Market research supports the acceptance of AI interfaces, with over 60% of customers willing to accept product recommendations from AI models, indicating a high level of trust in such interfaces. Businesses implementing AI interfaces report increased customer engagement and higher satisfaction scores compared to traditional UI approaches.
Three Critical Actions To Take Now
Business leaders need to take action in response to this shift. Here are three critical steps to consider:
- Audit Current Interfaces (Next 90 days): Identify high-friction touchpoints in current user interfaces that could benefit from AI transformation.
- Pilot AI Interface Integration (6-month timeline): Select a customer-facing process for AI interface implementation, focusing on high-volume, routine interactions.
- Redesign your approach to customer interactions to leverage the dialog between humans and new digital employees.
The transition to AI as the primary UI represents a fundamental change in how businesses function and serve customers. Every product and complex process will have an AI interface, either embedded within the product or accessible through a QR code with a smartphone. Companies that do not enable AI in their products and processes risk appearing outdated, as AI continues to evolve and improve, making it an integral part of modern operations.
