Thinking in layers: UX, AX, and the agentic web
Three definitions for concepts emerging in the near future. UX is where meaning meets mechanism. AX is where machine trust is built. AIP is how they talk.
A few definitions for concepts I believe will emerge in the near future.
UX, human to agent
Definition: the interface between people and the systems that act on their behalf.
Purpose: translate human intent into structured requests using text, voice, gesture, or multimodal input.
Examples:
- Apple’s Siri and Apple Intelligence
- Google’s Gemini OS
- OpenAI’s ChatGPT with memory and actions
- Browser-based agents like Perplexity Comet or ChatGPT Atlas
UX exists within the Use Layer of the agentic web, where human intent becomes structured instruction. It remains human, emotional, and contextual. It is about trust, control, and intent expression.
Brand and product design still matter, but they now move upstream, closer to system-level experience design.
UX is where meaning meets mechanism.
AX, agentic experience
Definition: the experience the agent itself has when interacting with the digital ecosystem. How efficiently, securely, and contextually it can interpret, negotiate, and execute actions.
Purpose: optimise the agent’s perception of brand data and service quality. The machine experience.
Focus areas:
- Data accessibility and clarity
- Protocol compliance (AIP standards)
- Trust signals and authentication
- Latency, cost, and friction of negotiation
AX lives within the Model Layer, where agents and models reason, plan, and act. It is not what humans see; it is what agents perceive and evaluate.
Where UX is human trust, AX is machine trust. This is where brands will compete for algorithmic preference, not just human attention.
UX builds loyalty with people. AX builds reliability with agents.
AIP, agentic interface protocols
Definition: the structured standards that define how agents communicate with brand systems, validate data, and transact value.
Purpose: enable interoperability and ensure that negotiation and execution are governed, auditable, and secure.
Analogy:
| Layer | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| UX | Front-end design language | What humans touch |
| AX | Back-end experience layer | What agents perceive |
| AIP | The grammar and etiquette | How they talk |
AIP sits within the Organisation Layer, where brands define the rules of engagement between agents and their systems. It establishes governance, authentication, and measurement across all automated transactions.
AIP is the connective tissue of the agentic web, defining the syntax, semantics, and security model of negotiation.
If UX is HTML, and AX is the DOM, then AIP is the HTTP of the agentic era.
Closing thought
The agentic web will not replace the human web. It will run alongside it, one visible, one invisible.
The next phase of design is not about screens, but systems.