[aleph_minus_one]

> A lot of words to not say much of anything to defend the actual point - what can AI actually do that we couldn't do before?

The article indirectly considers the point:

What could an electrical motor do in a factory that a steam engine couldn't? - There is hardly anything.

But: by tranforming the factory from a central steam engine into one electrical motor per factory machine over a long time, the production process(es) got more efficient - and this is hoped for AI, too.

[win311fwg]

Of course the idea of many motors powering many machines didn't escape anyone during that period. It wasn't practical until motor technology improved.

Given that we're in the "inefficient motor era", per the analogy, what is the blatantly obvious next business innovation that is currently held back by needing a small improvement (say, faster token generation) from AI?

[aleph_minus_one]

> what is the blatantly obvious next business innovation that is currently held back by needing a small improvement (say, faster token generation) from AI?

I would personally say: at least the capability for a fast generation of images (designs) - even if not perfect - does have potential considering how much professional designers charge for generating concept designs.

Even if you hire a professional designer to create the final version, the fact that I can generate, say, 10-20 design concepts to see which ones I like, and then go to a professional designer to make a final version based on the AI concept saves a lot of time and money.