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Ask HN: What is a 2024-2030 moat for AI

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21–25 of 25 posts

Re: Ask HN: What is a 2024-2030 moat for AI

#21
The big moat IMO is a pre-existing network (and after building a network since this is going to be a bit of a gold rush if the current occupants in your space are slow to evolve).

Google has trained everyone to go to Google.com for answers, sliding in AI and other tweaks is just the natural evolution of that.

Design pros already use Adobe; sliding in AI to make them 10x more efficient is the next evolution of that.

etc etc

Disruption out of that is going to be interesting but hard to predict.

I think a lot about voice agents... but Google and Apple are well-positioned for that (Amazon maybe a little, but not as much IMO). I love using ChatGPT with voice on my phone, but the minute Apple releases something equivalent tied into all their stuff I would use that (I use siri for todos but boy does it suck).

Re: Ask HN: What is a 2024-2030 moat for AI

#23
For me biggest moat, mystery. What I mean, AI industry now gathering low hanging fruits, which are not bad but cannot be good enough for economical sustainability of whole AI ecosystem.

What will really be gamechanger, some Big thing, which will be sold to large share of population, like personal computers, smartphones, automobiles.

What problem of niches of low hanging fruits, they effectively prohibit scale, so if nearest time we will not see something Big, it will become something like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_crash_of_1983

If you will look at figures, you will see, after crash of 1983, video gaming revenue returned to 1979 level in 1989. So if we will got similar AI crash just now, market will revive in about 2030.

Also possible scenario of recession, but ONLY if find way to somehow feed debts from huge R&D spending without appropriate returns.

In 1983 US gaming production collapsed, and shifted to Japan. That time I was too young to fear Japanese (so I don't know this feeling), but now I feel serious fear that AI production could shift to totalitarian China.

Yes, I now see, US and EU governments express concerns about totalitarian China AI dominance scenario, and considering huge state support for internal AI production, but for me, this is also evil, and this will have huge consequences in future.

So, my forecast, exist possibility, something Big will be found before AI startups become impossible feed debt, otherwise, US/EU states will enter game and will regulate things and all effectively become state program, so market will effectively disappear.

Also possible effects, crash of GPUs, etc, because they depend on big sales, which are now feed by debt.

Low hanging fruits will stay in niches, but this is is very boring, and will still be possibility of Big thing appearing, which will gather all niches.

Re: Ask HN: What is a 2024-2030 moat for AI

#24
post #7

Has a 1-3 team moat ever really existed with new technologies? My best guess would be to somehow get your tech embedded into the defence industry. My goto moat test: is there an obvious ‘death by Amazon’ route? Amazon can strike fear into entire industries with scale and capital. Very few tech companies could withstand a full frontal assault by Amazon. I can’t see how this trend won’t get worse if AGI occurs during o…

> Has a 1-3 team moat ever really existed with new technologies?

Yes. Exactly this happen in late 1970s with microprocessors and based on them home computers.

Just because, big gamers like IBM, don't consider home users as something more than niche.

Something similar happen with apps for mobiles and with websites - exists few mega-apps and mega-sites, but these are mostly distributed markets, with millions tiny entities (yes, whole Appstore consist of millions apps, created by 1-3 teams, this is near impossible to do by one huge entity).

But must admit, I don't know what could be like "home computer" or apps for mobiles or websites for current state of AI.

Re: Ask HN: What is a 2024-2030 moat for AI

#25
post #21

The big moat IMO is a pre-existing network (and after building a network since this is going to be a bit of a gold rush if the current occupants in your space are slow to evolve). Google has trained everyone to go to Google.com for answers, sliding in AI and other tweaks is just the natural evolution of that. Design pros already use Adobe; sliding in AI to make them 10x more efficient is the next evolution of that. e…

Microsoft also looking strong.
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