AI Panic and the Google+ Fiasco

I just left Google last month. The "AI Projects" I was working on were poorly motivated and driven by this mindless panic that as long as it had "AI" in it, it would be great. This myopia is NOT something driven by a user need. It is a stone cold panic that they are getting left behind. The vision is that there will be a Tony Stark like Jarvis assistant in your phone that locks you into their ecosystem so hard that you'll never leave. That vision is pure catnip. The fear is that they can't afford to let someone else get there first. This exact thing happened 13 years ago with Google+ (I was there for that fiasco as well). That was a similar hysterical reaction but to Facebook.

A screenshot of a social media post criticizing poorly motivated AI projects driven by fear of being left behind. The author compares the imagined Tony Stark-like JARVIS phone assistant to the earlier Google+ rush, arguing that companies are chasing ecosystems and competitors rather than genuine user needs. It is shared as a cynical reaction to AI hype and corporate panic. EN: A screenshot of a social media post criticizing poorly motivated AI projects driven by fear of being left behind. The author compares the imagined Tony Stark-like JARVIS phone assistant to the earlier Google+ rush, arguing that companies are chasing ecosystems and competitors rather than genuine user needs. It is shared as a cynical reaction to AI hype and corporate panic.

• @gentoomemes / 11475 2024-05-25