Qualcomm CEO says AI agents will replace apps as primary smartphone interface

Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon has predicted that AI agents will fundamentally transform the way smartphone users interact with digital services, replacing the need to manually switch between individual applications to complete everyday tasks.

Speaking on The Tech Download podcast, Amon outlined a future in which users simply instruct an AI assistant — for example, saying "Please make a dinner reservation for me" — and the agent handles the entire process across maps, restaurant, payment and email applications without any further input.

He was clear that applications themselves would not disappear, but that their role would change dramatically: "Apps are not dead," he said, "but apps are going to change."

AI as the new interface

Amon's vision centres on AI agents becoming the primary layer through which users engage with digital services, rather than interacting with individual apps directly. As these agents grow more sophisticated and capable of managing multiple services simultaneously, users will increasingly bypass opening apps altogether. The agent, in effect, becomes the interface.

Beyond the smartphone

Amon also sees the shift extending well beyond mobile devices. He envisions AI agents operating across smart glasses and wearables equipped with cameras and displays, enabling them to act throughout a user's day regardless of which device they are using. In the scenario he described, a user walking down the street could simply recall needing a dinner reservation — and without reaching for their phone, the AI agent handles the entire booking and sends a notification once it is done.