The Competitive Moat That AI Can't Replicate • Hacker News Board

Re: The Competitive Moat That AI Can't Replicate

#51

Post by brookst » Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 9:06 PM UTC

loopmonster wrote: post #43

LanceJones wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always wonder how people can tell. For this particular article, was it the thirty-four occurrences of em dashes with spaces on either side? Something else obvious?

It was the content. So many very specific claims with no source, just stuff being made up. I don't know who Brené Brown is, perhaps she specifically researches trust, but how curious that her daughter can raise a problem with trust, specifically cite two named behaviours that build trust, and then Brown just happens to have a database of trust-building behaviours to hand, that she hasn't even analysed, ready to outpu…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brené_Brown

I am not sure if you posted a brilliant, subtle joke... or if you're demonstrating the exact behavior that you suggest is a flag of inauthenticity.

Re: The Competitive Moat That AI Can't Replicate

#52

Post by Folcon » Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 9:08 PM UTC

tootubular wrote: post #44

ashishact wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I normally have conversation with opus - And I enjoy it. Maybe I am getting fine-tuned.

I have definitely noticed other people using LLM-choice words, myself included, more frequently. It's a strange phenomenon to witness. Obviously the models got them from us first so there must've been some popularity there prior, but the boost is clear. Blast radius, load-bearing, shape, and so on. Or maybe they were always there and my confirmation bias is in high gear.

I do have a sneaking suspicion it's a mix of things, I'm at the point now that I do get a bit of an odd feeling whenever I'm reading AI produced content

I suspect over time it will get good enough that I'll need a larger sample size to identify it, however that won't solve what I think of as the "why does this need to exist" problem, I've noticed that a fair bit of AI content hits that mark, it can be fun, but I've not experienced that feeling of engaging with something that's been well thought out / executed, maybe we'll hit that point[0], but I suspect it will take a while

-[0]: https://xkcd.com/810/

Re: The Competitive Moat That AI Can't Replicate

#53

Post by pixl97 » Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 9:09 PM UTC

Eridrus wrote: post #31

flax wrote: post #11

I'm probably in the minority, but I do not want a "connection" with a business. I want transactional interactions that actually work. That is something that AI is not giving us today. By design. Companies are not switching to AI customer service because it's better or cheaper for the same service. They are choosing to replace customer service with AI chat bots that simulate the customer service experience without act…

I dunno, I talk to the Doordash bot, it gives me a refund for the failed delivery because it didn't score me as doing fraud, I don't care there was no human involved. It's certainly an upgrade over the menu-driven approach that has no room for deviation.

Yea, on the same note I've had to call the cable company for internet outages a few times recently and the AI system handled the situation well. A few times it was neighborhood outages that it saw. One other time the system reset the modem configuration and the system came up, and one time it saw the interface on the modem was receiving errors and switched me over to a human to send a truck.

It really was much better than most cable related tech calls I've had.

Re: The Competitive Moat That AI Can't Replicate

#54

Post by sublinear » Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 9:13 PM UTC

drob518 wrote: post #35

kentm wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm probably in the minority, but I do not want a "connection" with a business. I want transactional interactions that actually work. Every time a business tries to make a "connection" its really just an avenue to exploit or manipulate me. I've never had them making a connection for my benefit (i.e. take a hit to their bottom line). I'm not asking for altruism but I am asking for them to drop the pretense and quit…

Then they’re doing it wrong. That’s a faux “connection” that just serves the business and not you. I would bet that if you experienced true connection, you’d love it, but you’ve been scammed by fraudsters so many times that you are suspicious of anything that doesn’t feel strictly transactional.

Unless you can give a specific example of a "true connection", I don't think they would.

To "go beyond their expectations" requires understanding what they expected to begin with. They just told you that they want a transaction, not a sales pitch or series of intrusions. Things are considered trivial when they do not fit that person's lifestyle. Doing a whole lot of "yes and", rough personality profiling, or goal guessing isn't going to cut it either.

Many people just want to be left the hell alone. Many people have even shouted from the rooftops they'd pay absurd money to be left the hell alone. I guess nobody wants to make money, nor provide a "true connection".

Re: The Competitive Moat That AI Can't Replicate

#55

Post by hintymad » Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 9:13 PM UTC

flax wrote: post #11

I'm probably in the minority, but I do not want a "connection" with a business. I want transactional interactions that actually work. That is something that AI is not giving us today. By design. Companies are not switching to AI customer service because it's better or cheaper for the same service. They are choosing to replace customer service with AI chat bots that simulate the customer service experience without act…

Me neither. I just want a business to get my stuff done in a standard way. Clear pricing upfront and no haggling. No surprise. If I hire someone to take care my yard, then take care of the yard. The price is reasonable. The plants thrive. The lawn is green. The irrigation system just works and does not leak. Connection, what connection?

Re: The Competitive Moat That AI Can't Replicate

#56

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 9:15 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: The Competitive Moat That AI Can't Replicate

#57

Post by pixl97 » Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 9:23 PM UTC

majormajor wrote: post #39

> He called the restaurant. He was put on hold for thirty minutes. When someone finally answered, they were apologetic but firm — the restaurant was fully booked. No warmth. No conversation. Just a long wait and a closed door. > In trying to humanise the process, he’d made it worse. > Here’s where most stories would end with “so they moved everything online and fired the reservation staff.” That’s not what happened.…

There are still a lot of old people that love calling places and havent/won't get the hang of online systems.

Also restaurants of all sorts seem to have no one dedicated to answering the phone any longer. It's really problematic when you are trying to set up larger parties (9 to 12 people for example) at the last minute, which many places can handle but the online system won't do any more than 8 and there is no way to reach them other than messaging that may take a day.

Re: The Competitive Moat That AI Can't Replicate

#58

Post by dominotw » Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 9:26 PM UTC

flax wrote: post #11

I'm probably in the minority, but I do not want a "connection" with a business. I want transactional interactions that actually work. That is something that AI is not giving us today. By design. Companies are not switching to AI customer service because it's better or cheaper for the same service. They are choosing to replace customer service with AI chat bots that simulate the customer service experience without act…

i dont know. I love basic humanity in my interactions. Thats why i eat at chick-fil-a and get coffee at starbucks. Not mcdonalds and dunkin donuts.

Just make it pleasant and human.

Re: The Competitive Moat That AI Can't Replicate

#59

Post by newyankee » Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 9:30 PM UTC

flax wrote: post #11

I'm probably in the minority, but I do not want a "connection" with a business. I want transactional interactions that actually work. That is something that AI is not giving us today. By design. Companies are not switching to AI customer service because it's better or cheaper for the same service. They are choosing to replace customer service with AI chat bots that simulate the customer service experience without act…

If I was getting 8 $ burritos with clearly marked ingredients and total automation end to end, I would gladly work with such a variant of Chipotle as well, even if it cuts workforce by 80% in such a scenario.

Frivolous employment maximisation with words like human connection do not make sense for survival necessities. It works better with discretionary spending

Re: The Competitive Moat That AI Can't Replicate

#60

Post by saturn8601 » Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 9:31 PM UTC

For many businesses, AI is a mechanism to try to keep costs lower because the value of money is decreasing more and more. So if we don't implement AI and the business can't cut costs elsewhere? what's going to happen? There's going to be demand destruction and a potential lower quality of life.