GenUI: Are Generative User Interfaces coming?

What is a Generative User Interface?

Well... that's a good question.

It's a term I heard via Alvarez & Marsal's Tristan Brandt's post on LinkedIn earlier today.

Tristan writes:

Gen UI - scary, I can’t wait

That’s right, I meant Generative user interfaces. In conversation over lunch with one of my favourite technology optimists Gavin Payne he introduced me to this new term.

It instantly made sense to me, and I can’t wait to see it come of age. The richness and relevance of human to computer interfaces is set to be fully redefined.

The Nielsen Normal Group defines a Generative User Interface in the way you and I would, I think, expect:

A generative UI (genUI) is a user interface that is dynamically generated in real time by artificial intelligence to provide an experience customized to fit the user’s needs and context.

You might argue that, to an extent, we already have some sort of 'context-sensitive' user experiences already. Look at how the iPhone adjusts to present a keyboard when it's needed, and remove it from the screen when it's not.

AutoCorrect might be another example of a Generative UI - in a very small way.

What we don't want are beautiful, highly context sensitive interfaces, created using Generative UI, that requires a small power station's worth of electricity for every user.

I can imagine all sorts of possible use cases.

What would a GenUI experience look like for managing my credit card?

Isn't that just context-sensitive?

Do we want a GenUI experience when you're doing something that's got a predefined set of commands? Surely it's just 'context aware' if it's the interface is sticking 'balance' at the top of the page and 'statements' at the bottom?

Or, if we come to next generation computer games, is that where we'll see the first applications? For example, I would imagine that if you were playing a Star Wars style space travel game, the interface for each ship you get into (to try and fly!) would be dynamic? GenAI driven games, with 'infinite' characters and 'infinite' worlds – and offering the ability to build and buy 'infinite' types of spaceships ... that's where I could see a GenUI style approach being rather useful.

Every ship would need a 'lock the doors' button. Every ship would need a 'start the engines' control... and so on.

Who knows? ;-)

Tristan finished his post with this request:

If you have any early examples of use cases, ping me.

Me too. Ping Tristan, then me!