If the AI is deeply integrated and feature-rich, I would prefer it. However, if it is just a disconnected chat interface, I don't think it is necessary. Additionally, whether it requires an extra fee is a factor that must be considered.
Ask HN: Why is every company encorporating AI everywhere?
11–20 of 49 posts
Re: Ask HN: Why is every company encorporating AI everywhere?
#12Because VC money depends on the company’s growth plans, and VC money isn’t offered if “AI” isn’t part of the product any more. (Sample size of one, told by a friend who’s in direct contact with the CEO.)
Re: Ask HN: Why is every company encorporating AI everywhere?
#13Related: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48964185
If enough people/companies are on the bandwagon, you're afraid to push back and be the crazy one, potentially losing money. So you roll with it.
Re: Ask HN: Why is every company encorporating AI everywhere?
#14From the POV of a CEO(not myself), it's a predictably priced, affordable insurance against potentially falling behind the competition.
Re: Ask HN: Why is every company encorporating AI everywhere?
#15FOMO.
This. In many cases, they cannot even properly articulate how AI will improve things beyond vague, meaningless, corporate-speak jargon. Most cannot even properly define AI’s place in the org in the first place. They just cannot be seen as someone who is “behind the times” or “a tech dinosaur”.
Re: Ask HN: Why is every company encorporating AI everywhere?
#16As someone who has experience building a small AI powered company and making these decisions on a small scale, I can say maybe?
For some companies, automation that is based on being able to pull info from a gigantic knowledge base that still has bounds is helpful for them. Most orgs are still figuring this out in the face of immense pressure from their stakeholders not to fall behind and miss any potential windfall. They don’t know how LLMs can help them but the hype may push them in the black or lead to (false) growth so they lean in.
I think many of the larger tech companies were hoping to make human engineers obsolete so that they could achieve the true promise of SaaS - almost no investment, instant money faucet. Unfortunately for them, we still need people to help us understand people so engineers, designers, and product managers aren’t as expendable as some of them were hoping.
No one thought AI would be free or cheap, but a LOT of ppl bet that the true cost could be obfuscated or waved away temporarily while the money was stupid and then revealed once enterprise was addicted and struggled to manage their switching costs. By then the smartest folks have made their money, moved it to safer havens, and await the next stage of the lifecycle.
I love LLMs but the way we use them seems very stupid, IMHO. It’s like everything is a screw now but everyone still has bolts and nails.
Re: Ask HN: Why is every company encorporating AI everywhere?
#17Because VC money depends on the company’s growth plans, and VC money isn’t offered if “AI” isn’t part of the product any more. (Sample size of one, told by a friend who’s in direct contact with the CEO.)
And also I suspect most companies work with big consultants like Bain and McKinsey because they (the companies) are scared and clueless and have no vision about how to run their businesses, which is perfect for them (the big consultants) to extract value from them with smoke up their holes and predictions about a future no one has ever seen yet.
Re: Ask HN: Why is every company encorporating AI everywhere?
#18AI is well and good until it touches the product in any possible way. Please integrate in your own yard not in user's face.
Re: Ask HN: Why is every company encorporating AI everywhere?
#19Someone I know said it's because investors get excited to know your product has AI.
That was a relief. I thought users want it. I can understand investors being dumbfucks in grasping actual customer needs or to be completely ignorant about it.
Re: Ask HN: Why is every company encorporating AI everywhere?
#20To make the line go up.