To Write or Not to Write... About AI
Amidst the excitement and opinions on AI's future, here's my perspective. I aim to clarify rather than confound.
I finally got myself to sit down and start writing. I’ve been thinking a lot about AI these past quarters (who hasn’t?) and while many others are writing about the latest trends on this topic, I personally am tracking a few dozen newsletters and commentators, I won’t replicate their efforts. Instead, I'll focus on the overall development of the field, potential applications, and how AI might impact our work, life, and society as a whole.
I've always been, for better or worse, ahead of the curve in my work. It can be frustrating but also a lot of fun. I started working on mobile technology back when it was based on WAP (Wireless Access Protocol). Most of you probably don’t remember, and honestly, that's a good thing.
The company I started in 1998 worked with Nokia to bring various services to mobile devices. It was a nightmare in many ways—the technology just wasn't ready. But it pointed to an interesting future.
When I moved to California in 2005 and joined Google, my first project as a product manager was Google Maps for mobile. This was before the iPhone, when 3G was barely a thing, and phones didn't have GPS. Well, one model did, but it took ages to warm up and cost $20 a month just to activate the chip. It was hard to use a map on a tiny screen with limited interaction options. Despite general skepticism, we persevered because the potential was undeniable.
With the advent of the iPhone and Android, I worked with the search and speech teams at Google to build voice search. At the time, the “best” speech interfaces were frustrating automated systems at banks and utility companies.
We launched voice search in 2008, the first speech-based consumer product that actually worked! But the bigger challenge was creating an interface where people could naturally converse with an intelligent system, and be truly useful.
This challenge led me to leave Google and join a small startup called Siri as VP of Product. After Apple acquired us and we launched the product on iPhone 4s, I continued on this path, starting my own company which was acquired by Google and eventually led to the birth of Google Assistant.
These were exciting times. We had good technology and a solid product vision, but there was still a gap between what assistants could do and people's expectations.
In hindsight, it was like WAP and Google Maps for mobile all over again—too early, but on the right track. I left Google in 2019, took some time off, dabbled in a startup, and now I'm pondering the future—not just mine, but the world's.
AI has garnered a lot of hype, and it's not the first time. We've had numerous false starts, but this time feels different. The technology is finally starting to deliver on its promises.
So, why am I writing about AI? To share my thoughts on its potential and pitfalls. I won't be sharing the latest news, but rather building on my experience with early-stage technologies that were on the right path.
If you're interested in following my thoughts, feel free to subscribe. I won't have a fixed schedule, and topics will vary based on my interests. Consider yourself warned.