The Next Paradigm Is User-Centric Agent, Not Platform-Centric Service

2026-02-17

AI Summary

This work addresses the prevailing issue in current digital platforms, which prioritize their own metrics over genuine user needs, often to the detriment of user interests. It proposes “user-centric agents” as a paradigm for next-generation digital services, presenting the first systematic framework for intelligent agents driven by user goals, safeguarding privacy, and granting users full control. By integrating large language models with on-device intelligence, the authors design an edge-cloud协同 architecture complemented by governance mechanisms and an ecosystem framework. The study not only demonstrates the feasibility of user-centric agents but also provides a comprehensive technical pathway toward digital services fundamentally aligned with user well-being.

Technology Category

• Humans and AI: Intelligent User Interfaces
• Multiagent Systems: Mechanism Design
• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Agent Architectures

Application Category

• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: User privacy protection in personalized systems
• Responsible Web: Data and user privacy-enhancing technologies for the Web
• Semantics and Knowledge: Data modeling to support human-machine intelligence, including LLMs agents, intelligent system behavior, explanations, and user-friendly interactions

Abstract

Modern digital services have evolved into indispensable tools, driving the present large-scale information systems. Yet, the prevailing platform-centric model, where services are optimized for platform-driven metrics such as engagement and conversion, often fails to align with users' true needs. While platform technologies have advanced significantly-especially with the integration of large language models (LLMs)-we argue that improvements in platform service quality do not necessarily translate to genuine user benefit. Instead, platform-centric services prioritize provider objectives over user welfare, resulting in conflicts against user interests. This paper argues that the future of digital services should shift from a platform-centric to a user-centric agent. These user-centric agents prioritize privacy, align with user-defined goals, and grant users control over their preferences and actions. With advancements in LLMs and on-device intelligence, the realization of this vision is now feasible. This paper explores the opportunities and challenges in transitioning to user-centric intelligence, presents a practical device-cloud pipeline for its implementation, and discusses the necessary governance and ecosystem structures for its adoption.

Problem

• user-centric
• platform-centric
• digital services
• user welfare
• LLMs

Innovation

• user-centric agent
• on-device intelligence
• large language models
• device-cloud pipeline
• digital service paradigm