AI Pros, Cons, Futurism, and Societal Impact - Interviewing NoCode Developer-Founder of AudioPen
In this interview, Louis Pereira, founder of AudioPen, and Utsav Jaiswal, VP at HackerNoon, discuss the development of an AI tool using Bubble's no-code platform and the benefits, challenges, and societal impact of AI.
TL;DR Summary:
In an interview with the founder of AudioPen, Lewis, he discusses his experience using no-code tools to build digital products, the difficulties he faced while starting up in India, and his views on artificial intelligence (AI) and its societal impact. He believes AI will be a net negative for humans due to the confusion and dissatisfaction it creates, and predicts that job loss is imminent with the advent of AI, requiring people to adapt to new kinds of work or jobs that are untouchable by AI. However, he also acknowledges the potential benefits of AI and advises aspiring entrepreneurs to keep building interesting things.
00:00:00
Lewis talks about using no-code tools to build digital products as a non-technical person. He found no code in 2015-16 and has launched multiple products online, with his latest, AudioPen, succeeding beyond his expectations.
00:05:00
Pereira discusses his journey from being an economist to building products, difficulties faced while starting up in India, and discovering Bubble, the no-code tool he currently uses. He also shares his perspective on AI, how he avoids developer tunnel vision and uses the up arrow on Slack and Microsoft Teams as an example.
00:10:00
The interviewee shares their view on AI's societal impact and believes it will be a net negative due to the dissatisfaction and confusion it creates. AI will accelerate the quest for social status. Even if tail risks are avoided, people will still become more confused about what status games to play.
00:15:00
The interviewee discusses their decision to play with AI while it's still fun and interesting but expresses uncertainty about its long-term impact on society. Defining AI is challenging due to its rapid evolution, which is problematic for regulators. They also explore the idea of AI becoming a top writer or combining various sources of information from visual to taste in the future.
00:20:00
The AudioPen founder discusses how AI will cause job loss differently than previous workforce changes. AI may render some jobs redundant, resulting in the emergence of a new kind of work untouchable by AI. He also wonders if the productivity surge from AI could impact money's value and how it's likely to remain valued based on the number of hours in a day.
00:25:00
Discussing AI's impact on inflation and employment. They argue that AI will not increase prices but will reduce costs as machines work more efficiently. However, individuals who create technology may be valued less and face an identity crisis as AI replaces their jobs.
00:30:00
The founder of AudioPen discusses the tech industry's similarity to the media's digital transformation issues. He emphasizes over-indexing the product and avoiding "feature-itis" while getting feedback from users.
00:35:00
Louis stresses the importance of simplicity, focusing on core competencies, and avoiding feature creep. He uses Bubble and Open AI for natural language processing, and other tools for payments and analytics. He shifted to an annual subscription model for long-term sustainability.
00:40:00
AudioPen founder discusses pricing. Started at $19 and gradually increased to $39. Planning to settle on a price around $100 while adding more features. AI-powered tool makes it easy for journalists and professionals to transcribe and access speech.
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