I recently (sadly) came to the realization that most people aren’t advanced AI users, and I shouldn’t expect them to be. At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Part of me was a bit disappointed, since I know what’s possible when you really dig into the technology. Turns out I’m the one who comes off as the crazy AI-obsessed nerd guy lol. Your essay helped me make sense of it though. Most people just want AI to handle a task for them and then step aside, and that’s a completely reasonable thing to want. And that's how it's gonna be for most folks...
Historically, that's what a good product has always done: removing friction. So it is not crazy to expect it from a commercial product. Bonus point if the users do not see the technology, only its *magical* output. That's Google.
The other way around, if you want to make a brand exclusive, you built it so your users have to make an effort. That's Apple.
The cryptocurrency comparison is so interesting; both AI and crypto are seismic level of technological advancements, and only AI has been able to offer (so far) an user-friendly interface with the seamless onboarding of a chatbot. Meanwhile the barrier to entry of crypto is insane. And so people imagine that crypto is only for hackers wearing black hoodie, so they don't even try to learn etc.
I recently (sadly) came to the realization that most people aren’t advanced AI users, and I shouldn’t expect them to be. At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Part of me was a bit disappointed, since I know what’s possible when you really dig into the technology. Turns out I’m the one who comes off as the crazy AI-obsessed nerd guy lol. Your essay helped me make sense of it though. Most people just want AI to handle a task for them and then step aside, and that’s a completely reasonable thing to want. And that's how it's gonna be for most folks...
Builders vs farmers! Interesting numbers, I wonder how similar AI is to crypto/bitcoin. It's a theme I've been following for a while.
Do you have a hypothesis for why people expected AI to remove friction?
Historically, that's what a good product has always done: removing friction. So it is not crazy to expect it from a commercial product. Bonus point if the users do not see the technology, only its *magical* output. That's Google.
The other way around, if you want to make a brand exclusive, you built it so your users have to make an effort. That's Apple.
The cryptocurrency comparison is so interesting; both AI and crypto are seismic level of technological advancements, and only AI has been able to offer (so far) an user-friendly interface with the seamless onboarding of a chatbot. Meanwhile the barrier to entry of crypto is insane. And so people imagine that crypto is only for hackers wearing black hoodie, so they don't even try to learn etc.