For years, the panacea of smart buildings has been framed around interaction. Tap here. Log in there. Adjust this. Override that. A quiet assumption sat beneath it all - that people would be willing participants in the digital lives of their buildings.
They sorta were. But increasingly, they won’t be. Gen Z and Alpha are beginning to reject social media.
A new age of consumer AI devices is beginning to suggest why. Products like Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, the compelling Rabbit R1, and the still-unseen OpenAI device reportedly being shaped by Jony Ive are not really about hardware at all. They are about an emerging design ethic: intelligence that no longer demands attention.
And that should unsettle anyone involved in the user experience of smart buildings.
The common thread across these devices is a retreat from the screen. Meta’s glasses turn AI into something you speak to casually, almost absent-mindedly, while they quietly observe the world alongside you. Rabbit’s R1 strips interaction back even further, encouraging you to state intent rather than navigate interfaces. The OpenAI/Ive collaboration, from what has been carefully implied rather than loudly announced, appears to be chasing something more radical still, technology that recedes into the background, present but never performative.
This is not a new interface paradigm. It is the erosion of the interface itself.
Contrast that with the experience most people have of smart buildings today. Apps that feel worthy but, perhaps, unloved. Dashboards that glow reassuringly on a screen somewhere, while occupants prop doors open and bring in desk fans. Systems designed with good intentions, yet forever asking users to explain themselves, again and again, through forms, settings and tickets.
The problem has never been intelligence. It has been attention.
As AI becomes better at understanding language, context and intent, the burden of interaction shifts. People no longer want to manage systems; they want outcomes. To use the age-old example, people do not want to tell a building what temperature to be at three times a day. They want it to notice when conditions are no longer comfortable and respond accordingly, without ceremony.
Imagine a building experienced through AI glasses, where wayfinding is conversational rather than graphical, and explanations appear only when invited. Imagine intent-driven agents mediating the relationship between occupant and environment, so that “I’m staying late” quietly resolves lighting, security, access and comfort in the background. Imagine systems that intervene rarely, but meaningfully, because they have learned when silence is preferable to control.
In this world, the most important UX decision is often not what to show, but when to stay out of the way.
That is a profound shift for the smart buildings industry. It suggests that success will no longer be measured by engagement, usage or feature richness, but by something more subtle: cognitive load avoided. Friction removed. The sense that a building is paying attention, without constantly asking to be acknowledged in return.
If consumer AI devices are teaching us anything, it is that the future belongs to technologies that whisper rather than shout. And as AI learns to behave more politely, more selectively, more humanly, our buildings will be forced to follow suit.
The next generation of smart buildings will not feel impressive. They will feel obvious. And that, at last, may be the point.
In Dr Marson’s monthly column, he’ll be chronicling his thoughts and opinions on the latest developments, trends, and challenges in the Smart Buildings industry and the wider world of construction. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, you're sure to find something of interest here.
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About the author:
Matthew Marson is an experienced leader, working at the intersection of technology, sustainability, and the built environment. He was recognised by the Royal Academy of Engineering as Young Engineer of the Year for his contributions to the global Smart Buildings industry. Having worked on some of the world’s leading smart buildings and cities projects, Matthew is a keynote speaker at international industry events related to emerging technology, net zero design and lessons from projects. He is author of The Smart Building Advantage and is published in a variety of journals, earning a doctorate in Smart Buildings.