Software is culture

This piece reflects on how software has evolved from a tool behind glass to an intimate part of human experience, and where AI is taking it next.

• •The shift from desktop to touch interfaces rewired how an entire generation thinks, feels, and connects.
• •Software is becoming intelligent: interfaces will learn, adapt, and respond in real time rather than following fixed interactions.
• •Revisiting influential design decisions of the last 20 years reveals how singular choices can define an era.
• •AI changes how we direct software—less through commands, more through conversation, goals, and gestalt.
• •The future is not about automation replacing humans, but about where designers choose to place attention and apply craft.