New Delhi, Feb. 23 -- The most important interface of the last decade, a smartphone app, might be nearing its end.

"There are probably 15 million applications on the app store (Apple and Android stores).In the next five to ten years, they could all vanish," said Nikesh Arora, chief executive officer (CEO) of cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks, at a side event last week during the AI Impact Summit in Delhi.

He believes they will be replaced by AI agents that handle tasks using natural language.

Arora said today's apps are essentially rigid workflows designed for humans with forms to fill, buttons to click, steps to repeat. Booking a flight requires entering names, dates and destinations. Ordering a cab means switching apps, and ma...