Panos Panay, head of devices and services at Amazon, has predicted a major shift in how the next generation will interact with technology, moving away from smartphones and screens towards what he describes as “ambient intelligence”.
Speaking at the Fortune Brainstorm AI conference, Panay said current consumer technology is approaching a tipping point, driven by the rise of generative AI and growing fatigue with constant screen usage and social media “doom scrolling”.
Younger generation growing tired of screens
According to Panay, younger users are beginning to think differently about technology consumption. He suggested that future users will expect technology to exist seamlessly around them, rather than being accessed through phones and apps.
“There’s a whole younger generation coming up that I think, at some point, gets tired of doom scrolling,” Panay said. He added that technology will increasingly live “in their pockets, on their bodies, in their homes”, connecting effortlessly without demanding constant attention.
From apps to invisible experiences
Panay believes the future of artificial intelligence is not about creating better apps but about making the app experience disappear altogether. In an “ambient” future, technology fades into the background of daily life.
“It’s such a joy because there’s no opening a phone, opening the app, clicking, finding — none of it. You just ask the question and you get it back,” he explained, highlighting how voice-led and context-aware systems could replace traditional interfaces.
Amazon’s focus on Alexa and wearables
Panay said Amazon is actively working towards this vision by enhancing Alexa across its ecosystem. However, he acknowledged that the ultimate form factor for AI assistants has not yet been fully realised.
“I don’t think we’ve seen the next form factor yet on where AI devices are going to go,” he said, revealing that Amazon has a “lab full of ideas”. He also pointed to existing Amazon wearables, such as Echo Frames and earbuds, as early steps towards always-available AI.
Competition, privacy and trust
When asked about potential competition, including reported AI hardware collaborations involving Jony Ive and OpenAI, Panay emphasised Amazon’s belief that users will want their AI assistant with them everywhere.
On security and privacy, he was unequivocal. “It’s a contract with our customers. We break that contract, we lose our customers,” he said, stressing that trust will be non-negotiable in an ambient AI future.