The next generation of software may lack traditional user interfaces. Instead, they will be 'API-first' or 'agent-first,' integrating directly into existing workflows like Slack or email. Software will increasingly 'visit the user' rather than requiring the user to visit a dashboard.

The internet was designed for human interaction, actively discouraging bots. The next evolution will reverse this, with AI agents becoming the primary users. This requires re-architecting everything from user interfaces to business models, with crypto likely serving as the native payment rail for these autonomous agents.

While human payment habits are entrenched (e.g., Visa), AI agents have no such loyalty. They will ruthlessly optimize for cost and efficiency, making near-free, programmable stablecoin transactions the default choice for the 99%+ of future transactions they will conduct, sidestepping legacy financial infrastructure.

As both consumers and companies adopt personal AI agents, many transactions will occur directly between these bots without human involvement. This disintermediates the customer from the company, fundamentally changing the nature of CX and requiring new ways to measure success and reinforce brand value in a fully automated interaction.

AI will fundamentally change user interfaces. Instead of designers pre-building UIs, AI will generate the necessary "forms and lists" on the fly based on a user's natural language request. This means for the first time, the user, not the developer, will be the one creating the interface.

Mercury's CEO sees the rise of AI agents performing financial transactions as an inevitable future. Rather than viewing it as a threat, Mercury is building tools like a CLI and APIs to become the go-to banking infrastructure for this emerging agent economy.

The primary interface for services is shifting from websites to conversational AI agents. Users form personal preferences and history with their chosen AI (e.g., ChatGPT) and will expect to perform tasks like opening a bank account through that trusted agent, forcing companies to create a great "Agent Experience."

The financial system is unprepared for the coming wave of AI agents. These agents will perform tasks and require payment, creating trillions of micropayments. Current infrastructure from Stripe, Visa, or Mastercard cannot handle this volume, creating a massive opportunity for new protocols to facilitate the 'agent economy'.

Customer interaction points have evolved from physical branches to websites and mobile apps. In the current platform shift, APIs and conversational interfaces are the new primary channels for customer engagement, akin to a bank branch in the 1950s.