How are things going for non-AI products right now?
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I'm currently building in Social tech with no plan on integrating AI in the near future. It's an app that'll enable users to connect with others near them and attend/host events.
Are you also building a product that doesn't have an AI component? How has it been? Has the available funding decreased for "unsexy" ideas since the advent of AI?
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To be honest, right now AI-supported or AI-interactive products or products that do not have any AI connection seem incomplete to people and this is very surprising, but personally, I am very tired of this trend and I am now paying more attention to non-AI products.
@omer_faruk_bulut2 Right - I wonder if that's how investors look at it. It unfortunately does makes sense though, most products can implement AI somehow
@seanphwang
Why don’t cars have ovens inside them?
Well… because why would they? Just because something is technically possible doesn’t mean it belongs there. It takes the whole idea out of context.
That said, I understand why using the term “AI” looks cool and grabs attention from a marketing perspective.
Recently, I came across a team claiming to have developed an AI tool for SEO. But when I looked into it, it turned out to be a classic web scraping bot only at the very end did they ask an AI model to make a final decision. That’s not really innovation; it’s just repackaging old methods under a new label.
There’s a saying in Turkish: “There’s no need to rediscover America.” It means something has already been done there’s no point in acting like it’s new.
@omer_faruk_bulut2 Right, we're probably at the tail end of the "shiny new object" syndrome phase as an industry. People are realizing that a lot of these AI use cases are redundant, thanks to the information gap between the "techies" and the "non-techies" getting more efficient
@omer_faruk_bulut2 Also connected with you! Looking forward to how you navigate this new AI-influenced landscape
Hi Sean, I think people are adding AI everywhere to ride the trend. However, I think that more and more people are looking for authenticity, without superficial products. Creating a social tool that truly connects people will always have potential, because people prefer to interact with other humans than bots. I think adding AI must be done thoughtfully and by making sure that it really brings value to the user more than just being able to put .ai in your domain name.
@titouan_de_dain Agreed! At least in the startup world, the AI trend is definitely full-blown. A ton of them rushed to pivot into implementing AI within their products, not focusing on whether it truly brings value, just to say it's AI-powered, because that's where the funding is at. Can't blame 'em! I actually find this phase of consumer adoption fascinating - cause among the sheer quantity of implementations and innovation happening, we're bound to find revolutionary use cases.
@seanphwang Everyone’s chasing the funding, but not enough people are asking: does this actually help the user? Also I'm think that many AI products that gets funded right now will just crash in the next 2 years when they run out of money to pay the credits lol, at least that's what's gonna happen for products that doesn't solve a real problem from the start.
I get the gold rush energy, and yeah, we’ll see some magic come out of it, but I worry that too many products are becoming harder to use, not better.
I’m trying to keep things grounded: solve a real problem first, then see if AI helps. Not the other way around.
@titouan_de_dain Also connected with you on here and LinkedIn, looking forward to seeing what you build!
@rodrigo_soviero Refreshing to hear that! If we think of it as a hype cycle, perhaps the AI exhaustion phase is right around the corner.. until next time
Interesting question, Sean. While AI grabs the spotlight, building something authentic in the social space, like connecting local people and facilitating events, addresses a fundamental human need that endures. Funding might seem skewed towards AI, but real value and genuine connection will always stand out. Focus on your unique proposition and building a strong community. Real utility has its own appeal, beyond the AI hype!
@kenedy_paulino That's a great way to put it! Unfortunately I think the current trajectory of tech advancement is leading the society to decreased intimacy. The paradox of being connected more than ever, yet feeling more isolated than ever. The demand for social intimacy will rise and ultimately at critical levels, we will frantically search for solutions as a society (similar to "social boom" post-covid).