What’s Different About Today’s AI?

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the evolution of AI in user experience (UX) design, highlighting how the focus has shifted from creating seamless, unobtrusive AI experiences to encouraging direct user interaction with AI systems that may produce "useful garbage" as long as it serves the user's needs. It argues that the current "AI revolution" is more of a UX revolution, driven by changing user expectations around the quality and usefulness of AI outputs.

🙋 Q&A

[01] The Subtlety of AI in Software Applications

1. What was the traditional approach to incorporating AI in software applications?

• AI was traditionally a subtle, unobtrusive component in software applications, designed to create a seamless user experience where "good things simply happen" without the user needing to be aware of the technical details.
• UX designers of the previous decade worked to ensure that nontechnical users did not notice the AI components, similar to how they would not draw attention to issues like JavaScript vs. HTML.

2. What was the underlying philosophy behind this approach?

• The previous decade's UX design philosophy for AI prioritized seamless, reliable solutions with minimal user tinkering or awareness of the underlying technology.

[02] The Shift in Product Philosophy

1. How has the product philosophy shifted regarding AI in user experiences?

• There has been a radical pivot in product philosophy, where the user is now encouraged to interact directly with AI components that are designed for usefulness rather than seamless correctness.
• UX designers are now permitting AI systems to serve "useful garbage" as long as it is useful to the user.

2. What triggered this shift in user expectations around AI quality?

• The rise of public tools for generating AI art, where the conversation was more about usefulness rather than strict correctness, paved the way for this shift.
• The popularity of ChatGPT, which offered a similar "incorrect-but-useful" experience to non-technical users, further reset user expectations about what constitutes "quality" in AI output.

[03] The Implications of the UX Revolution

1. How does this shift in user expectations impact other AI players in the market?

• Teaching millions of users to alter their expectations paves the way for other players to introduce new AI interactions that would have been unacceptable a decade ago.
• However, some existing players may struggle if they have built a "gets it right first time" brand that is at odds with the new user expectations.

2. What is the key takeaway about the current "AI revolution"?

• The current "AI revolution" is more of a UX revolution than an AI revolution, as it is primarily driven by changes in user expectations and the design of AI-powered user experiences, rather than advancements in AI capabilities alone.