Artificiality: Being with AI Chris Messina: Reimagining AI
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Feb 28, 2025 
In a captivating dialogue, Chris Messina—creator of the hashtag and a leading product expert—shares insights on generative AI’s potential and pitfalls. He introduces a thought-provoking framework that distinguishes AI as a tool versus a medium. The conversation highlights trust and transparency as essential for AI adoption, while advocating for community collaboration to enhance product development. Chris draws parallels between the internet's early days and today's AI landscape, envisioning a future where AI becomes a partner in creativity and problem-solving.
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Two Distinct Paths For AI Adoption
- AI adoption is bifurcating between simple conversational uses and bespoke, workflow-driven automation for power users.
- General-purpose LLMs excel at surface tasks while domain-specific stacks unlock deeper, industry-ready value.
Tool Versus Medium Mental Model
- Think of AI as either a tool you master or a medium you use to express ideas; the distinction changes design and adoption strategies.
- Mediums enable iterative co-creation and expression, while tools focus on task execution and mastery.
Expose Reasoning To Build Trust
- Show AI reasoning to build user trust by exposing the chain of thought and assumptions behind outputs.
- Use transparent ‘‘view source’’ style explanations so users can correct assumptions and learn from errors.