Published on 10 February 2026
Over the past decade, User Experience (UX) has been a key differentiator in the design of digital products. However, the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, especially generative AI and autonomous agents, is profoundly reshaping who interacts with digital systems, how they do so, and what they expect from them.
We´re entering a new phase. Shifting from designing experiences exclusively for human users (UX) to also designing them for intelligent agents (AX). It represents a quiet but structural change that will define the competitiveness of digital products in the years ahead.
For years, we assumed that digital products were designed for people. But that assumption doesn´t go far enough anymore. AI agents (smart browsers, autonomous assistants, digital copilots), are beginning to interact with systems on users’ behalf. They can book, query, compare, negotiate, and execute complete tasks. This is where the concept of Agent-Centred Design emerges, and with it, Agent Experience (AX).
Products that are not prepared to be used by agents, through tailored APIs, structured flows, or agent-first interfaces, will simply fall out of the ecosystem. Agents will choose more efficient alternatives, just as human users abandon poor experiences today.
The key is not to replace UX, but to expand it: to design hybrid experiences where humans and agents collaborate (HAX), and others where agents are the primary actors (AX), without losing sight of the human experience when it remains relevant.
In an AI-driven environment, trust is non-negotiable. It is a decisive factor for adoption. Users, whether human or agent, won´t hesitate to reject products that are unreliable, inexplicable, or inconsistent. This requires designing transparent, secure, and understandable experiences, where users know what the system does, why it does it, and where its limits are.
Despite all these changes, one thing remains unchanged: the foundational principles of UX. Human-centred thinking, user research, flow design, and continuous validation remain essential.
The difference is that they now apply within a broader context, where “users” may be humans, agents, or both, and where experience design is conceived more as an ecosystem of interactions, rather than as a single interface.
The transition from UX to AX is not a rupture, but a natural evolution. Organizations that understand this shift and act proactively will be better positioned to create digital experiences that are relevant, scalable, and competitive in the age of AI.
