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Ask HN: Why call it an AI company if all it does is call open AI API?

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Re: Ask HN: Why call it an AI company if all it does is call open AI API?

#51

Post by hammyhavoc »

roncesvalles wrote: post #39
bcrosby95 wrote: post #16

Why call it a web company if you simply use web technology (http/2, html, css, reactjs, javascript) rather than develop web technology?

You're not a database company if you use a database. You're not a cloud company because you use the cloud.

That depends.

If you offer databases as a service but don't develop the database software itself, you're still a database company.

If you re-sell cloud resources, you're still a cloud company.

If you offer an interface for interacting with an AI, you're an AI company.

Is it a broad stroke? Absolutely. I do agree with your sentiment. It would be more accurate to describe these things as what they really are than to inaccurately categorize them.

Re: Ask HN: Why call it an AI company if all it does is call open AI API?

#53

Post by JTyQZSnP3cQGa8B »

bcrosby95 wrote: post #16

Why call it a web company if you simply use web technology (http/2, html, css, reactjs, javascript) rather than develop web technology?

Web technologies are defined in RFCs and specifications though, OpenAI is an implementation. And I would definitely not call a company a "web company" if it only used Frontpage all day long without knowing what HTML is.

Re: Ask HN: Why call it an AI company if all it does is call open AI API?

#54

Post by yawnxyz »

moomoo11 wrote: post #52

Thanks for the responses I appreciate the marketing and other reasons. I think I’m going to include AI in my tagline and other marketing materials.

We just say our projects are "enhanced/powered/enabled by AI" and no one bats an eye. It's for "regular people" though and using that term gives it shimmers of magic in their eyes "wow it's AI...!" and truth is that while most people have heard of ChatGPT now, they haven't used it. And the majority of people trying Chat, they're using it as a novelty toy.

Yeah it's marketing, but it really makes you stand out (in front of non-devs). However, I do think it's beneficial to say you're "AI-powered" since that'll get you the more right kind of users who like that stuff. It'll probably turn away those who are afraid of touching OpenAI's servers, but that'll save you tons of headaches too, with those customers.

Re: Ask HN: Why call it an AI company if all it does is call open AI API?

#56

Post by SkyPuncher »

LLMs open up a new means of accomplishing complex tasks. How ere, there’s still a lot of work that happens to ensure input and output behaviors align with user needs and expectations.

Technically, most of your users could build your tool themselves. They don’t because they want someone else to solve the problem for them.

Same thing with LLMs. Pay someone who specializes in a specific task to build it well.

Re: Ask HN: Why call it an AI company if all it does is call open AI API?

#58

Post by quickthrower2 »

curiousllama wrote: post #43

It makes perfect sense - if you reorient your thinking. AI companies come in two flavors. (1) Build a novel AI for a pre-existing purpose (2) Use a pre-existing AI for novel purpose. It's "I didn't realize _AI_ could do that!" vs. "I didn't realize AI could do _that_!" Engineers found company type 1. Product people found company type 2. Both are valuable, but for different reasons.

Engineers also build type 2. Type 2 can be quite complex as well. Although there are a lot of thin wrappers too.

Re: Ask HN: Why call it an AI company if all it does is call open AI API?

#60

Post by quickthrower2 »

kidgorgeous wrote: post #2

"My product is NOT an AI company. It’s a dev tool for app developers." and people will definitely NOT be interested. The market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent.

People? Investors you mean? Why does the customer care.
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