AI Hype: Who Is It For?

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the recent advancements in generative AI, such as GPT-4 and Bard, and how they have set social media ablaze with excitement. It explores the differences between the AI of the past decade and the AI of today, highlighting how the user experience (UX) philosophy has shifted from emphasizing seamlessness to encouraging direct user interaction with AI components.

🙋 Q&A

[01] The AI of the Past Decade vs. Today's AI

1. What were the key differences between the AI of the past decade and the AI of today?

• In the past decade, the UX philosophy associated with traditional enterprise-grade AI emphasized seamlessness, where users were not meant to know about the AI components in their experiences.
• Today, there is a radical pivot in product philosophy, where the user is encouraged to interact directly with AI components that are designed for usefulness rather than seamless correctness.

2. Why was there so much advertising and buzz about AI over the past decade, if the AI was hidden from users?

• The advertising and buzz about AI over the past decade was not for the users, but rather for the builders of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) systems, such as engineers, product managers, data scientists, tech leaders, students, investors, and enterprise customers.
• The users often only received "sci-fi flavored" information from the rumor mill, rather than direct interaction with the AI components.

[02] The Shift in Responsibility for AI

1. How has the responsibility for decisions related to the responsible and ethical use of AI shifted?

• For better or worse, many decisions related to the responsible and ethical use of AI are shifting from the AI builders to the users themselves.
• The author, who has been a LinkedIn Top Voice for 3 years with a community of half a million, has resolved to start speaking directly to the "AI-aware AI product user" because the times have changed.