The era of intelligent society has arrived.
Very soon, AI powered by large language models will become the new infrastructure of our daily lives—just like electricity, water, or WiFi. We’ll gradually adapt to a world where we delegate countless decisions and tasks to AI, or more precisely, to our personal AI assistants.
From “Worker Mode” to “Boss Mode”
Today’s smartphones are jam-packed with apps: WeChat for chatting, Taobao and JD for shopping, Douyin for videos, and Toutiao for news. We toggle between apps constantly, managing everything manually—a mode of interaction I call “Worker Mode.”
This is about to change.
In the age of AI, we’ll shift to “Boss Mode.” Instead of micromanaging every task, we’ll simply tell our AI assistant what we want—and it will handle the rest.
Want to plan a weekend family gathering? Just say:
“Help me organize a weekend get-together.”
Your AI assistant will:
- Coordinate schedules with your friends,
- Order gifts and ensure timely delivery,
- Book a restaurant near a kids-friendly park,
- Schedule a ride precisely when needed.
What once felt like science fiction is now just months—not years—away.
Reconstructing the Smartphone Ecosystem
As “Boss Mode” becomes mainstream, the smartphone ecosystem will be fundamentally restructured.
- Apps as We Know Them Will Disappear AI agents will merge the functions of countless apps. You won’t need to open ten different apps to book a hotel, buy movie tickets, or order groceries. One voice command to your AI, and it’s done.
- Hardware Will Evolve Around AI Expect to see smartphones with more powerful AI chips, faster voice response, and devices built around seamless AI interaction. The App Store may be replaced by modular AI toolkits. Even operating systems might be redesigned with the AI assistant at the center.
Human-Computer Interaction: Time to Rethink the Form Factor
From feature phones to iPhones, every major leap in phone design has been about evolving human-computer interaction (HCI).
Touchscreens replaced keyboards because they were more intuitive. But in the AI era, voice commands and visual inputs become primary. And here's the problem: holding up your phone every time you need to speak to or “show” something to AI? Not ergonomic, not efficient.
We need a new form factor for AI-native interaction.
AI + Glasses: The Next Interface Frontier
Smart glasses might not fully replace phones in the short term—but as we rely more on AI assistants, usage time will shift in their favor. The longer we use them, the more essential they’ll become.
From an input/output perspective, glasses are far more aligned with our natural behavior.
- In the smartphone era, over 90% of inputs are typed text.
- In the AI era, inputs become multimodal: voice, images, video, sensor data.
We’re not used to bosses typing out detailed instructions. They speak, point, delegate. That’s how human-AI interaction should feel too.
On the output side:
- Smartphones rely on screens and speakers, with over 70% of output being visual.
- In the AI age, productivity-related outputs won’t need visuals. As trust in AI grows, bosses will care about outcomes—not every step along the way.
Visual output will mostly remain in entertainment, until brain-computer interfaces mature enough to stimulate imagery directly.
So:
- Productivity tasks? AI glasses.
- Entertainment? AR glasses with immersive displays.
Why AI Glasses Are Not a Gimmick
Take the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses as an example: Over 2 million units sold in just one year. What are users saying?
“Light and easy—like regular sunglasses but with superpowers.” “Perfect for capturing life’s moments with kids.” “Voice control makes daily tasks effortless.”
The product is still evolving, but the direction is clear: Start with productivity, gradually enhance entertainment.
Will Glasses Replace the Smartphone?
This is not about sudden replacement.
It’s about a gradual shift—one where usage time, convenience, and contextual intelligence lead us to wearables as the dominant computing interface.
As your AI assistant becomes your go-to for work and life, smart glasses will quietly overtake the smartphone as your default device.
That’s not fantasy. It’s where we’re headed.
Ren Ecosystem