GenAI And the Future of Mobile Apps

Apps Will Work Together  

Meg Hope, Senior Consultant at Theta, explains that new tech means apps will be more likely to communicate directly with each other in the near future.  

This is thanks to something called MCP for servers, which acts as a go-between for Large Language Models (LLMs) and the mobile apps you use. They let AI do more than just give you information -they orchestrate actions across your apps to help you get things done.  

“What we’ve seen so far is that AI agents are great at providing information, but not great at doing things for you. With the introduction of MCP for servers, it changes the game as it allows AI to work as your personal assistant.”  

Hamish Norton, Lead Digital Consultant at Theta, agrees we’re heading for a time when apps are more about AI doing the heavy lifting.  

“You may end up with apps that don’t even have a user interface – they just get plugged into an AI chatbot.”

So, in future, AI could be co-ordinating everything from your fitness and grocery shopping to booking your next holiday.  

Result: There will be far more scope to be creative with your apps, including creating more personalised customer experiences.  

Redefining User Interfaces

With AI in the mix, we're moving beyond traditional app interfaces. Apps will focus more on easy ways to interact, like using your voice or writing prompts. Ultimately though, you need to get customer feedback when going down this route, as Hamish explains:

“You still need to listen to customers and figure out what they want. This feedback loop isn’t done well enough, often enough.”  

Result:

‍Again, there’s far more scope to get creative, but it needs to be within the boundaries that your customers will accept.  

Preparing for an AI-Driven Future

These changes are all happening very quickly and Philip Fourie, Digital Practice Lead, says it’s hard to predict how the next 2 years will look like:

“We’re sitting on these powerful devices which can run AI “in your pocket”, so we’re well positioned with mobile apps to do a lot of interesting things. AI wearables like Plaud and Google Smart Glasses could change the way we interact with the world.”  

Result:

Businesses need to be ready and think ahead. We’re likely to see some groundbreaking changes that will push old boundaries and open new doors for app development. It’s important to keep an eye on these tech trends to stay in the game and keep your apps competitive.

Conclusion

The future of mobile apps is looking pretty interesting! As apps evolve into smart, helpful companions, businesses need to jump on these trends to stay relevant. By doing so, you can connect with customers in fresh, meaningful ways, turning apps from useful tools into something your customers demand and rely upon.