I’ve written quite a bit about AI. I use it and am optimistic about it vs the doom and gloom. However, I’m frustrated because it’s become this obsessive distraction that many great products aren’t improving or are implementing features that don’t make sense.
There is both an identity (soul-like) and not actually dogfooding issue.
How can you improve a product if you don’t use it? This still baffles me.
If you are on a team with direct influence to improve the product you should use the actual product in anyway you can. And if there isn’t any good opportunity then you should have a department or person who does be the go-to person for core improvement.
And see this is where AI is going to really improve things. With coding being solved anyone can tell AI to change something in the code. Obviously guards and process and workflows all need to be strongly considered to prevent anyone from just changing the product with 1 prompt overnight. BUT what is crucial here is everyone has an equal chance of improving the product whether their focus is the product or finance.
Companies that will fail and wither away will be ones who have too much bloat, too much red tape, and too much influence from their boards and executive teams that they ignore their team and customers.
How we work in the very near future will encourage less red tape. Less “you can only do these things”. And less excuses for making an experience better.
More companies will operate more like a church—where the goal at the end of the day is that it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure people feel heard, seen, and know more about God while we each do our little focused part.
Because of AI the choice is clear. Dogfood or die.
