The advent of AI agents marks a revolutionary shift that makes past technology transitions seem almost quaint. By next year we will likely be used to AI agents transforming how we interact with the internet, altering the landscape of online information access and task management.
AI agents, autonomous applications designed to serve humans, will autonomously scour the internet, find exactly what we need, and even perform tasks on our behalf. An AI agent will deliver information and complete tasks through a single, user-friendly interface tailored to your preferred format—be it text, voice, video, or even virtual reality.
Eventually, the focus will shift from designing visually appealing websites for human users to creating streamlined content specifically for AI agents. This shift will render current ad models and marketing strategies obsolete, as the primary "visitors" to websites will increasingly be AI agents rather than humans.
The transition from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 introduced distributed social media alongside traditional websites. In this next shift time, instead of replicating content across social networks, the challenge will be to create content that AI agents can efficiently process and use.
As we pivot from human-centered design to agent-centered functionality, the role of websites will fundamentally change.