Carl Pei Thinks the AI-Powered Phone of the Future Will Only Have One App
Nothing founder Carl Pei has shared a bold and ambitious vision for the future of smartphones—one where AI is no longer just a tool but the foundation of the entire user experience. In a recent interview with WIRED, Pei offered an outline of how Nothing is evolving into an AI-first company and what that means for the future of mobile interaction.
Pei’s outlook aligns with a growing consensus in the tech industry: that AI isn’t just a feature but an infrastructure shift. His company has already laid early groundwork for this shift with the Essential Space experience on the upcoming Nothing Phone (3a), and internally, Phone (3) has been referred to as the “first step” toward an AI-powered platform.
Speaking with WIRED, Pei emphasized:
"If you look back, the iPod was not launched as “an MP3 player with a hard disk drive.” The hard disk drive was merely a means to a better user experience. AI is just a new technology that enables us to create better products for users. So, our strategy is not to make big claims that AI is going to change the world and revolutionize smartphones. For us, it’s about using it to solve a consumer problem, not to tell a big story. We want the product to be the story."
Pei’s perspective is not only practical but also refreshingly focused on user-centric design. His critique of other tech companies for becoming "too corporate" and losing creative momentum highlights Nothing’s intent to reintroduce innovation through AI, not marketing hype.
He proposes a paradigm shift where the OS itself becomes the only "app" a user needs:
"I believe that in the future, the entire phone will only have one app—and that will be the OS. The OS will know its user well and will be optimized for that person… Right now, you have to go through a step-by-step process of figuring out for yourself what you want to do, then unlocking your smartphone and going through it step by step. In the future, your phone will suggest what you want to do and then do it automatically for you. So it will be agentic and automated and proactive."
This vision, while still 7–10 years out according to Pei, sets the stage for a fundamental rethinking of how we engage with our devices. The AI-powered OS he describes isn't just a convenience—it’s a shift from user-initiated interaction to system-initiated assistance. Apps as we know them today—separate, brand-controlled interfaces—may eventually become invisible or redundant.
As one top commenter on the article insightfully noted, AI’s real impact will come when it stops being something we talk about and becomes the unseen engine behind better, simpler experiences. That’s the direction Nothing is aiming for.
At Saiwa, we believe this agentic AI paradigm will redefine not only mobile interaction but the design principles of all future digital services. By prioritizing automation, personalization, and proactivity, smartphones could finally evolve into intelligent, context-aware companions.
And while challenges lie ahead—especially in how service providers will react to losing direct control of their app ecosystems—the potential benefits for user focus, time management, and daily productivity are undeniable.
Pei’s ideas may sound radical today, but so did the iPhone in 2007. With AI as the OS, not just a feature, the smartphone of the future might not feel like a phone at all.
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