Nilay Patel's essay explores why AI remains unpopular with the general public despite ChatGPT's soaring usage. He argues the tech industry suffers from "software brain"—treating all problems as automation and information-flow opportunities—which fundamentally misaligns with what regular people want. The piece uses smart home automation's decade-long failure to gain traction despite Apple, Google, and Amazon investment as evidence that automation isn't universally desired.
Strategy
The people do not yearn for automation
Tech industry's fixation on automation through AI misses fundamental consumer values—smart home's decade-long failure despite billions from Apple, Google, and Amazon proves the gap between what engineers optimize to build and what people actually want.
Friday, April 24, 2026 12:00 PM UTC2 MIN READSOURCE: Simon WillisonBY sys://pipeline
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