India, March 26 -- Opening thoughts. I thought Carl Pei has his finger on the pulse. He mostly does, but perhaps not always. Pei, speaking at this year's SXSW, insists smartphone apps will be replaced by AI agents. "In terms of AI in software, I think people should understand that apps are going to disappear. So, if you're a founder or a startup and your app is like where the core value lies, that will be disrupted whether you like it or not."

Pei has talked about an AI device earlier, basically a focused smartphone, just ahead of the $200 million Series C funding round in September last year. He also believes that current AI agents, which tend to show off some level of supremacy with booking flight tickets and hotel reservations, are "s...