I want to be lazy.
Software should make that possible.
Published Jun 21, 2025 · Around 2 minutes to read
When computers went mainstream, we moved processes from paper to screens.
Growing up, I watched my parents do tasks manually: filling out paper forms, paying cash for everything, navigating with paper maps.
Now I do it all on my phone: autopay, digital wallet, Google Maps. It’s way easier, but it’s still clunky. Every app and website has it’s own structure, so I’m constantly nudging autofill or switching between tabs just to complete simple tasks. The next agentic iteration of software will smooth this out.
We’re currently in the middle rethinking software. Tacking AI on everything is tacky, but it’s a natural iteration. We have a few more steps to go before this thing actually becomes useful. But this new rethink won’t be flashy.
Good AI is closer to the “copy + paste” interaction than a product. It will be extremely functional and it will work in the background to get stuff done. Good AI is good design: invisible.
What’s the “copy + paste” of the AI era? LLMs have already permeated our workflows. But they’re rudimentary: they do one task at a time, their initial outputs are kind of garbage, and they forget. Despite this, they’ve become mainstays in productive workflows.
I can’t wait for AI agents to start rendering our intent. Think of an agentic OS, but it’s not on any one device. It’s everywhere. Like when I got Dropbox in 2008 and I didn’t have to carry a USB stick on my keychain. I could pick my work up from any device. Agents will extend that pattern. Your own personal intelligence that knows you and proactively takes care of all your digital overhead.
Then I can be lazy.
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P.S. How good is the “copy + paste” interaction design? It’s universal across almost every piece of software and hardware. Plus the ergonomic placement of the keyboard shortcuts in the bottom-left corner. Beautiful.
Photo by Girl with red hat on Unsplash.
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