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On 2026-07-31 @anitakirkovska argues voice is the next interface for long-running…

Brief

Anita Kirkovska (@anitakirkovska) argues that voice should evolve from Q&A/input to an always-on interface for long-running agent tasks. She describes asking her assistant Ava to check multiple sources (calendar, email, Slack, tasks) and prefers silent background work with a notification on completion, while noting tradeoffs and design questions about progress updates, interrupts, credential security, and re-engagement.

Why it matters

On 2026-07-31 @anitakirkovska argues voice is the next interface for long-running agent tasks and describes using an always-on assistant named Ava with example prompts: "Hey Ava, you there? Check this." and "Tell me what my day looks like."

Key details

  • When a voice agent must aggregate multiple sources (calendar, email, Slack, tasks), Anita prefers the agent "work in the background and ping you when it's ready," while some users at @vellum_ai prefer continuous narrated progress.
  • She enumerates concrete design questions for voice agents: how often to share progress on long tasks, when to update, whether users can interrupt/change direction, how to securely save credentials, and how the agent should bring you back when work is done.
Source evidence

Voice is the next interface to figure out for long-running agent tasks.

Today, the voice experience with any agent is mostly a Q&A or an input tool. For the latter, you're probably working on something complex/creative, so instead of typing a long prompt, you speak and quickly give the agent a lot of context.

But I’ve started using mine a bit differently. She is always on in the background while I work. When something comes up, I just say:

“Hey Ava, you there? Check this.” or

“Tell me what my day looks like.”

But... in the second example, Ava needs to check my calendar, email, Slack, and tasks before she can answer. That introduces a new question: what should a voice agent do while you wait?

Should she say, “I’m on it. I’ll ping you when it’s ready,” and work in the background? Or should she keep narrating what she’s checking and thinking about?

I prefer the first. some users @vellum_ai prefer the latter

It's going to be very interesting on how we design harnesses around this, and answer questions like:

How often should it share progress on longer tasks? When should the agent update you? Can you interrupt and change direction? How does she securely save credentials? How does it bring you back when the work is done?

so excited to keep building here and see how all these pieces come together into a truly great voice experience