Season 3 kicks off with Jess Holbrook, Director of UXR for AI at Meta, discussing the impact of AI on UX research. Topics include the evolution of AI, using models to understand human behavior, merging quantitative and qualitative research methods, and the value of qualitative research in UX.
Jess Holbrook emphasizes the role of mentorship in UX research careers.
AI in UX research should focus on understanding human behavior and not just task efficiency.
Deep dives
Introduction to AI and UX Research
The podcast host introduces a new season focusing on AI, LLM, and UX research, with Jess Holbrook from Meta as the first guest. Jess recounts his entry into the field through a startup internship and subsequent roles at Meta, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. He emphasizes the importance of mentorship in his journey and the significance of caring for and investing in aspiring researchers.
Transition to Generative AI and Research at Google
Jess discusses his transition to working on generative AI and UX at Google, inspired by a director's vision for personal AI. The team's focus on building user-centered products leads to identifying common patterns around AI uncertainty and anthropomorphism. This culminates in the formation of principles and the creation of the People Plus AI Research group.
Current Role at Meta and AI Projects
Recently, Jess led the responsible AI UX team at Meta and now heads the generative AI UX research team. He highlights the launch of AI agents and image generation tools at Meta's event. His day-to-day work involves product strategy, user-centric design, and delving into underlying model success, safety measures, and prompt engineering techniques.
Role of AI in UX Research and Validity Questions
Jess reflects on the evolving role of AI in UX research, emphasizing the need for human insights alongside technological advancements. He underscores the importance of understanding human nature through AI tools while considering the challenges of validity in data interpretation. Jess advocates for leveraging AI to enhance understanding of human behavior rather than solely focusing on task efficiency.
The 3rd season of the UX Research Rundown is all about the intersection of AI and UX Research.
With that in mind, there's no better person to kick off the season with than Jess Holbrook, who's the Director of UXR for AI at Meta. Meta is one of the top companies when it comes to AI development and adoption which gives Jess a unique lens into how AI will shape the future of our field.
Take a listen, and don't forget to subscribe for more AI and UXR episodes!
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