The killer use case for GenAI

In the next few years, approx $2T will be invested in AI !(For comparison, the entire US economy is around $30T). One of the reasons for this exuberance is that there are probably many many areas in which AI can be applied, in theory. We just may not have found a compelling narrative for them all.

One use case which I find personally extremely useful is that of a Personal Assistant(PA). Now a PA can mean very different things to different people. When I speak of a PA, it’s someone who can answer the questions I have, quickly. It unblocks me in doing what I want, when I want to. Such utilities have been around for some time. But now with genAI they have reached a level of sophistication that surprises most of us.

Back in the day, like everyone else, Google was my PA. Type in a question and get a bunch of results. Then sift through the noise until you get what you are looking for (or something close). Although there were specialized sites for everything e.g. stackoverflow, google was pretty much the window to everything else.

Now, with genAI tools like chatGPT, I seldom go to Google. Answers are just a prompt away. Without me having to sift through pages of noise. If I don’t like the answer, well…just ask chatGPT again. It has been such a tremendous boost to my productivity. I count myself as a constant learner. Having answers a prompt away is like a Godsend. And it’s infinitely patient. I can keep prompting it and it will continue to explain things in greater detail…until I get it. I use the free version but can easily see myself as paying for it too. I think that in the near future it will pretty much become something essential, like email.

And these PAs are very sticky. I use chatGPT just because it was probably the first to come out. And they are constantly improving it. Though there are many others around like Gemini etc, I seldom switch. They are sticky, just like your browser or email provider. Once you get used to one, seldom do you change.

From an industry perspective, there is almost always a winner take all (or most) effect. There will be ultimately a consolidation with just a few dominant players (just like everything else)

But to me, the birth of PAs like chatGPT has been nothing short of transformational in terms of my personal habits and productivity.