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AI interfaces shift from static 'nouns' to dynamic 'verbs'

Traditional software interfaces are built around static elements like text fields, buttons, and dropdowns—nouns that users interact with. AI introduces workflows where software autonomously performs actions like gathering information, auto-completing tasks, or executing processes. This shift requires new design paradigms to visualize and manage these verb-based actions, as current UI tools aren't built to represent dynamic workflows. The core challenge is translating abstract AI behaviors into tangible user controls.

RafaelY Combinator00:00:50

Supporting quotes

software of today or kind of like up until this point was mostly kind of like just clear things you can point out on the screen um that are you know kind of nouns like text forms drop downs buttons Etc and with AI what really changes is I think so much of the design of what AI does is kind of more verbs um it's more the workflows Auto Complete Auto suggest um go out and gather some information for me Etc and we don't really have the tooling yet to kind of draw verbs on the screen and so that's what's really fascinating how you know this software is now emerging in this new AO World Rafael
these are all verbs we're creating videos we have agents going out executing tasks and so much of it is how do you keep the user in the loop and in control while AI does its magic and we've seen some pretty amazing interfaces to get that level of control and and make sure it's doing the right thing that leads to incredible output that would have taken days years it almost feels it almost feels like back in like 2010 or so when touch um devices really kind of came on the market and everything had to reinvented kind of Touch first and we're at one of those moments again where like all of software all the components that we kind of took for granted um they are really being reimagined and reshaped by the builders and startups and designers out there right now future is going to be incredible Host

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Nouns vs Verbs in AI Interfaces

Traditional software interfaces are built around static 'nouns' like buttons and forms, but AI introduces dynamic 'verbs' that execute workflows autonomously. This shift requires entirely new design paradigms to visualize and control AI-driven actions, marking a fundamental reset for software interfaces similar to the touch revolution of 2010.

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