VS code (developer interface) has this feature where you activate a text input with a hotkey. It is used to trigger specific actions. You can type text and it will give you the actions that match the text. You also see a list of the actions you triggered that way previously. This is great because I don't have to remember how to trigger a specific action and I can also discover new actions just by searching. Ultimately it doesn't change the UI, but it sounds quite similar to what the author describes. There is some potential there with a search bar that is more about intent than text matching.