“AI blah blah blah AI,” said every 2025 prediction post.
And why wouldn’t AI be at the top of the predictions list for 2025? Predicting that AI will become more available, pervasive, and baked into our lives and tools is a safe bet.
I can’t help think about the implications of it. With AI email, AI callers, AI coders, and more, where will the differentiation come from?
This is at once scary to think about from a product perspective and exciting to think about from a brand perspective.
Developing a new product is scary:
Everyone can move fast now, with or without much money. In fact, the people with time on their hands may be the ones who push boundaries harder because they can afford to work with new models, tools, etc. immediately.
First mover advantage may be more death trap than advantage. Copycats already wait to see which products take off before building cheaper versions of winning tools. Imagine how much faster that gets when you can point an AI tool at a piece of software and say “learn it and build it.”
But there are opportunities:
Design and UI/UX matters. Software won’t be reduced to a chat box. Clean, easy-to-use design will still win. Even if you become the one everyone copies, you brand can help you stay at the top.
Copycats won’t understand “why” a product exists. I’ve spoken with a few of these copycat shops. They don’t know (and don’t care) about the problems so much as the profits. Going deep on customer problems will still win. Another brand thing.
When everything could be fakery, we’ll seek real conversation and understanding with fellow humans. From in-person events to somehow authenticated online engagement, companies that keep it real will rise up. Yet another brand thing.
How we build tools doesn’t change the underlying principles of why we build them.
We understand a problem. We solve it.
A company’s understanding of why a product exists should be baked in and clearly communicated. And throw in some damn personality, because the more we all try to be like the giants in our space the worse we’ll all do.
So, let AI in the door. But don’t forget to give people lots of reasons to like what you do and who you are. Brand will be AI this year.
Peter
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