Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon believes your phone's days as your most important device are numbered. By 2028, he predicts meaningful computing workloads will shift from smartphones to new AI-first devices, with smart glasses emerging as the primary platform for personal AI assistants within five years. This shift represents a fundamental reimagining of how people interact with technology and how business leaders will manage their digital lives.

What Does Amon Mean by "AI Agents" Taking Over?

When Amon talks about AI agents, he's describing artificial intelligence systems designed to handle specific tasks autonomously. Rather than you telling your device what to do, the AI agent anticipates your needs and acts on them before you ask. "The center of your digital life will no longer be the phone, it's the agent," Amon told Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell in a recent interview.

This year, 2026, marks what Amon calls "the year of AI agents." He envisions these systems becoming so integrated into daily life that by 2028, we'll see meaningful workloads shift away from phones entirely. Within five years, Amon predicts AI-first devices will be dominant, serving hundreds of millions of people globally.

"The center of your digital life will no longer be the phone, it's the agent," said Cristiano Amon.

Cristiano Amon, CEO at Qualcomm

Which Devices Will Replace Your Smartphone?

Amon's primary bet is on smart glasses, which he believes are closest to our key senses, our eyes and ears. However, he also envisions a broader ecosystem of AI-first wearables becoming mainstream. The devices that will compete for your attention include:

• Smart Glasses: Amon's top prediction for the primary AI device, positioned closest to human senses and offering natural visual and audio interaction with AI assistants.
• Pendants and Pins: Fashionable wearables that house AI agents, allowing users to interact with their personal assistants without holding a phone or wearing glasses.
• Jewelry and Accessories: Other wearable forms that integrate AI capabilities into everyday fashion items, making AI assistance always accessible and socially acceptable.

Qualcomm's position in this transition is significant. The company's Snapdragon chips already power PCs, Android devices, earbuds, cars, and data centers. Qualcomm is also partnering with major technology companies on their future devices, including OpenAI and Meta, positioning itself at the center of the AI agent ecosystem.

How Will This Change the Way Business Leaders Work?

For executives and busy professionals, this shift carries profound implications. In a future where personal data and context are always streamed to your AI agent, devices become anticipatory rather than reactive. You won't need to tell your device what you want; it will know what to do before you ask, at a time that's best for you. It may even suggest actions it thinks you should take.

Business leaders may come to rely on AI agents almost as strategic thought partners, the way they would their C-suite or chief of staff. This means managing future devices like employees and having team members manage their own AI chiefs of staff and teams of agents. Organizations will need to constantly evaluate what AI is capable of and plan new processes, potentially reimagining organizational charts accordingly.

The shift also raises important questions about how companies will manage AI agents across their workforce. If every employee has a personal AI assistant handling scheduling, research, and decision support, the nature of work itself changes. Managers will oversee both human teams and AI teams, coordinating between them to accomplish business objectives.

How to Prepare for the AI Agent Era

• Evaluate Current Workflows: Begin assessing which tasks in your organization could be handled by AI agents, from scheduling and research to data analysis and routine communications, to understand where the biggest efficiency gains might emerge.
• Plan for Device Ecosystem Diversity: Rather than assuming everyone will use the same device, prepare for a future where some team members use smart glasses, others use pendants or pins, and some may use multiple devices simultaneously for different tasks.
• Develop AI Governance Policies: Create clear guidelines for how AI agents can access company data, make decisions on behalf of employees, and interact with clients, ensuring security and compliance as these tools become mainstream.
• Invest in AI Literacy: Ensure your team understands how to work alongside AI agents, including how to set appropriate boundaries, verify AI recommendations, and maintain human oversight of critical decisions.

Amon's predictions carry significant weight given Qualcomm's influence in the technology ecosystem. The company sits at the center of most devices people use daily, and its partnerships with OpenAI, Meta, and other major tech firms suggest these predictions reflect genuine industry momentum rather than speculation.

The transition from phone-centric to AI-agent-centric computing represents one of the most significant shifts in consumer technology since the smartphone revolution. For business leaders, the key takeaway is that this change is not distant or hypothetical. Amon's timeline suggests meaningful adoption will begin within two years, with dominant market presence within five years. Organizations that begin preparing now for a world where AI agents are primary devices will have significant competitive advantages over those that wait.