October 26, 2026

UIs are becoming optional

UI and API quality are evaluation criteria for tool selection. The UI is slowly becoming optional and is being replaced by the agent as the new interaction surface.

The CDP Institute newsletter of early September ran the headline "The Interface You Paid For Is Becoming Optional."

The ability of the product to interface with agents and produce at minimum feature parity with the UI should be considered a minimal requirement for any tool RFP going forward.