You probably know by now that AI is the definition of mediocre. As in: it’s the average of everything it’s been trained on. So how do you get beyond average?
The models themselves don’t seem all that different. Yes, there are models of the month (hey, Opus 4.6, my new friend!), but ultimately they seem to be pretty swappable (I have a good feeling that my journey will end with me using Gemini… I’m pretty locked in to Google, but I’m dabbling for now).
So, the model ain’t the way. Proprietary data (e.g. an AI that knows you really well) could be. Or there’s doing something really hard in the real world (think: Waymo self-driving cars). Or perhaps by promising trust and safety (Anthropic is certainly making a play here). Or… how about through really awesome design and good taste.
Remember when ChatGPT first came out and everyone derided “AI wrappers”… well, maybe a wrapper isn’t so bad, assuming you can differentiate on one or more of the above.
Luke Des Cotes is the CEO of MetaLab, the agency famous for designing interfaces, including early versions of Slack and Coinbase, so don’t be shocked when you hear him say that great design can be your moat.
MetaLab is working with a host of AI companies, including Windsurf (AI + code), Suno (AI + music), Pika (AI + video), and more…, which is why Luke's take on AI surprised me. He's not rah rah. He's pretty judicious actually. Luke has questions about AI's costs and appropriateness for lots of use cases like those involving kids, but mostly he objects to its mediocrity.
On this episode we discuss what it takes to go beyond average.
We also get into:
Speed to "good enough" is AI's real superpower
Why vibe-coded software isn't changing the world anytime soon (Note: We recorded this before the SaaSpacolypse, so maybe it is changing the world? The stock market would at least like to have a word.)
Why zero-to-one talent is so hard to find (and how MetaLab teaches it — because it isn’t rocket science — since recruiting for it is so hard)
Why Shopify acquired a design agency right after telling employees to justify their existence against AI
The talent market for zero-to-one designers — and why they're harder to find than ever
Chapters:
01:10 "It's a race to the mean"
03:10 "How do you create emotional resonance?"
05:33 AI companies are burning money
08:44 Speed to good enough
13:51 Is the chat here to stay or a temporary fad?
17:43 It’s hard to find great 0 to 1 design talent
22:02 Seemingly conscious AI
24:39 Kids, landlines, and fighting always-on culture
26:55 Sounds like science fiction, but is here now…
Links & Resources
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Thanks!
~ Dan
P.S. Kwaku Aning and I will be at SXSW! Will you be there? It would be very fun to meet up for tacos and such… Hit reply if you’ll be there or just hit reply if you like tacos and tell me which kind is your favorite. When in Texas, I’m very partial to the breakfast (migas) variety.