Let’s not dance around it: the design world is changing fast, and not in that “ooh, fun new trends” kind of way. More like “entire job categories are evaporating overnight” kind of way. And if you’re still operating like it’s 2015 — crafting pixel-perfect screens, polishing design system documentation, or fighting for the best shade of gray in your component library — you might want to sit down for this.

More and more, I hear that AI is upending UX design — so much so that the term itself might not even mean anything anymore… if it ever did. Some say we’re now designing invisible agentic workflows, focused more on backstage automation than front-end interactions. Others argue that, with all these new human-machine touchpoints, UI needs us more than ever — especially since click and touch still beat voice as the primary interface.

The design for guided resolution was elegant and innovative. The team had envisioned a chatbot interface with custom GUI cards presenting expense data through branded illustrations—enabling glanceable identification and fast recognition. The prototypes were compelling, and stakeholders were excited.

Just before launch, the design was killed.

Jordan Lee, the CFO of a mid-sized manufacturing firm, moves fluidly between meetings, factory floors, and client engagements, using mobile and wearable AI-driven devices. Business intelligence is available at all times so he can make the right decisions at the right time, no matter where he is.

I joined a product team working on a long-anticipated mobile expenses app — a cornerstone of our ERP suite — driven by a bold vision called Touchless Expenses. It promised a consumer-grade experience using real-time transaction data and automation through a unique partnership with JP Morgan. The design was ambitious, forward-looking, and had been carefully shaped through years of iteration and deep executive involvement.

We are on the verge of a radical transformation—one that will redefine how we interact with technology in every aspect of our lives, balancing them to create the most seamless, intuitive, and empowering user experience possible, a collaboration that puts humans in the driver’s seat side-by-side with the best co-pilot one could imagine.