The app economy may be approaching its conclusion, and while this statement sounds dramatic, let’s explore the implications. Over the past year, I've observed a trend where enterprise software and SaaS are increasingly transforming into data services or databases. AI tools are set to reduce complexity, enabling real-time user interfaces tailored for specific queries, akin to generative AI searches for businesses. Currently, many of us interact with numerous applications for tasks ranging from banking to gaming, organized into folders on our devices for ease of access. We often grant these apps full access to our data to enhance user experiences, with little attention to how our data is used. App developers focus on improving UI/UX and integrating various data services. Consider a future where AI-powered devices utilize advanced security and connectivity, allowing digital assistants to operate at the OS level. This would enable users to simply voice their requests to a digital assistant. Apple, for instance, could leverage this by enhancing Siri to not only understand commands but also to filter through apps, suggesting the ones that provide optimum experiences. A comparable “super-agent” could emerge for Android. **The Ultimate Trip App:** Currently, booking travel typically involves using aggregator services like Google Flights or platforms like Expedia, which limit users to their specific data sets. In the future, an OS-level digital assistant could take over this process, allowing users to book a complete trip—flights, hotels, transportation, and dining arrangements—all while considering personal preferences and securely completing transactions. This technology would intelligently navigate user preferences, such as favorite airlines and travel budgets.

It would streamline tasks like ride-sharing and hotel selection based on specific needs. Similarly, restaurant bookings and meeting confirmations would become effortless, uncovering services or deals not currently accessed via apps. This raises an essential question: Do we need apps?Their roles may soon be reduced to that of data layers as real-time experiences take precedence. My priority is not the app itself but the overall experience it facilitates—like summoning a ride or checking bank balances. **Enterprise Apps – The First to Evolve:** The landscape for enterprise applications is also shifting. Major players like Microsoft and Salesforce are competing to create unified platforms that enhance productivity. Innovations like copilots and multi-threaded AI agents could streamline the user experience by integrating numerous applications into a cohesive interface that adapts continuously to user preferences. We are nearing a future where we simply state our needs, and intelligent agents manage the rest. The era of standalone apps may soon be behind us; the only remaining question is when this transformation will occur.