ChatGTP And AI Isn't Going To Make Your Startup Idea Successful
Yes ChatGTP and AI is cool.
Yes it's an exciting development.
But no, slapping AI onto a product is not going to make it sell.
Unfortunately, I'm seeing this mentality a lot right now amongst solopreneurs/indiehackers/founders from all parts of the world.
I've spent nearly 20 years creating, marketing & selling software, services and products in tons of different industries and IME, shiny and exciting features don't make people buy solutions.
Take a founder with the idea to create a fitness application that gives users a custom workout.
Nothing wrong with that idea.
It has exactly what it needs to be a success - existing demand. People are already paying money for similar solutions.
Of course, the founder understands that they need to somehow differentiate their fitness application from all the other ones offering the same service so they decide to jump on the AI bandwagon.
Now it's not just a fitness application but a fitness application that uses AI to create custom workouts.
Is there any benefit to using AI for the end user? Does the AI make the workouts better or more effective? Does it make the application better, cheaper, faster?
The answer is almost always a resounding no.
As a result, this shiny new feature is completely pointless because it doesn't provide a compelling reason why a potential customer should choose that solution over its competitors.
Simply the fact that AI is "cool" isn't enough of a reason to fork over money for it. There has to be some concrete advantage.
Let me guess...
But the "BLUNT Method" will?
Not necessarily. It certainly helps but its not the point I'm trying to make here.
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Cannot agree with you more on this. I have spent the last 6 years building and deploying AI models for various use cases. And the ultimate impact it makes is often not very well calculated. Meaning, some use cases might have made more impact with just a straightforward software solution without fancy AI.
Of course, AI has great potential in boosting some aspects of human behavior, but all of those will not reach product-market fit.
Yep, people are seduced by it cos its sexy and cool without pausing to think whether or not it adds legitimate value
You presented some valid points but you are missing the big picture here. The fact is that there isn't a single business operating on the Internet today that wouldn't reap significant benefits from integrating AI into its workflow. This doesn't necessarily mean that AI should always be used at the forefront of operations. However, incorporating AI alongside automation in your business can significantly increase the output of your team, potentially doubling, tripling, or even further enhancing productivity levels.
Agreed, there's nothing wrong with integrating AI into workflow.
The issue is slapping an essentially useless AI function onto a product in an attempt to make it different and valuable to potential customers
Absolutely! AI should be seen as just another API / building block which makes things easier. Its not a silver bullet. Its not a differentiator even in medium term!
Yep, just another tool to help streamline workflow as bartso points out.
I'd say its barely a differentiator in the short-term
100% with you here.
AI, although having more use cases, seems to be suffering slightly from the crypto problem. Some people are slapping AI on solutions that are already pretty streamlined without AI.
For example, AI for reminding you to keep up with your tasks, which can already be done with a simple chatbot.
However, I think if your core business idea is specifically around AI, then it has a much bigger chance of being successful rather than just an add on feature.
Thought long and hard about this before my co-founders and I started Evoke
Yep absolutely.
It's a case of founders falling in love with the product rather than with how they can help their customers - and that never ends well.
Generative AI is not only "cool" but actually used by a lot of people that are not anymore in the early adopters group. So not paying attention now will put in worse position in the future.
Oh I agree with you Filip, I'm just pointing out the folly of slapping on AI functionality on a product without thinking about how this makes the product tangibly more valuable.
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Aha I didn't properly spellcheck before posting. Good spot!
I think we're saying the same thing, just (as you put it) in differing levels of grumpiness :-)