The New Mood Around AI

When generative AI burst on the scene, it was incredibly exciting for those of us working in solution design. Suddenly, we could take on problems that had felt hopelessly out of reach. We could dive into totally new technical challenges, discover new tools and approaches, and reimagine user experiences and outcomes.

As I wrote a little over a year ago, however, AI brought more than just excitement to those of us working in the space. It also ushered in expectation, pressure, and fear.

There was a real sense that we were all in a desperate high-stakes race. You could sense the tension and anxiety. It permeated the atmosphere of every developer conference, every conversation, making people rigid and closed-off.

It no longer feels like that. Now, we have a much more open positive energy across the space.

New possibilities, new energy, new people

I first felt that different dynamic at play at an event I went to a few months back together with my co-presenter Neema Hodjat. Now called “The L Suite” (formerly “TechGC Summit”), it showed how far the technical community has come in comfort and confidence around AI.

When I attended this event last year, you could sense the fear and concern. Everyone seemed scared of being left behind, everyone seemed to be wrestling with some combination of “imposter syndrome.” And of course, that showed up in the sessions and the conversations.

This year’s event could not have been more different. You had people sharing new practices and ideas freely, engaging with each other, and celebrating each others’ successes. There was an openness and dynamism that was missing before. This is just one event, of course… but I’ve noticed this more broadly. At other gatherings and across my informal conversations with others since then, I’ve felt the same energy.

What’s driving this new tone? For one thing, I think the fear of the unknown has lifted significantly. There is still plenty that is new and unfamiliar about AI development but most of us now have come to a basic level of understanding of the technology. For another, the pace has relented just a bit. We’re still seeing incredibly rapid movement, of course, but there are signs that the underlying technology is no longer progressing quite as quickly.

There’s another piece to this, I believe. One clear thing that has changed in the past year is that AI has become more accessible. Back then, it was a technically daunting new field that defied even experts. Now, you have many more non-experts who can not only operate at the edges of the space, but be involved in central design and development roles. They bring new energy and ideas and help create a broader sense of what is possible.

There’s never been a better time to jump in

Put it all together and you understand why there is a clear new mood around AI… We finally have enough of a handle on the technology and its potential that we can get some traction, enough grounding and stability that we can breathe.

I started this by saying I like to work on things that move quickly… but no one wants to be frenetic. Trying to push teams forward on projects when nothing is assured, when you wonder if you will have to scrap everything and start again based on some new development, is exhausting and unsustainable. Now that we have seen big leaps in process and tooling, we are better placed to make progress.

If you have been holding off starting your project because it felt too uncertain and challenging, this is a great time to jump in. The upside is still so high, the white space still so vast, but you don’t have to figure it all out on your own!