Chapter 15

Understanding the Nonstarter Application

IN THIS CHAPTER

check Defining AI usage scenarios

check Understanding what happens when AI fails

check Developing solutions to non-existent problems

Previous chapters in this book explore what AI is and what it isn’t, along with which problems it can solve well and which problems are seemingly out of range. Even with all this information, you can easily recognize a potential application that won’t ever see the light of day because AI simply can’t address that particular need. This chapter explores the nonstarter application. Perhaps the chapter should be retitled as “Why We Still Need Humans,” but the current title is clearer.

As part of this chapter, you discover the effects of attempting to create nonstarter applications. The most worrisome of those effects is the AI winter. An AI winter occurs whenever the promises of AI proponents exceed their capability to deliver, resulting in a loss of funding from entrepreneurs.

AI can also fall into the trap of developing solutions to problems that don’t really exist. Yes, the wonders of the solution really do look quite fancy, but unless the solution addresses a real need, no one will buy it. Technologies ...

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