Building AI Tools That Don't Suck
On restraint, UX, and why most AI interfaces miss the point.
1 min read
Most AI products feel like a chatbot wrapper around an API. That's not a product — that's a demo. A real tool hides the model and exposes intent.
The chat trap #
Chat is the lowest-common-denominator interface. It's great for exploration, terrible for repetition. The moment a user does something twice, you should be asking whether the chat is the right surface.
What good feels like #
The best AI features don't feel like AI. They feel like software that finally works the way you always wished it would:
- Autocomplete that knows your codebase
- Search that understands the question, not just the keywords
- Summaries you can trust without checking
That's the bar. Everything else is demo-ware.