AI working the night shift
Kevin Doran
We were in Mexico City this weekend & unfortunately, had breakfast at a table next to a group of American marketing executives. They started talking about AI.
Exec one: “oh I use claude cowork all the time”
Two: “what’s cowork?”
One: “it’s so like ai can click around on my computer when I’m not there”
Two: “oh yeah. I use that too. what does yours do?”
One: “So for example, we’re updating our company’s stock plan right now. it’s working on that.”
Two: “We have an AI employee in slack. It’s 50 dollars a month. I bet in 6 months it’ll replace needing some new hires”
If you feel some sort of FOMO, like exec 2 did with exec 1, that you’re supposed to have AI running on your computer at night, please hear me out.
I’m someone who works on AI as a software engineer and has tried having it run big tasks when I’m not around.
Don’t do that.
For many reasons, but mostly because AI is not good at working on its own for extended periods of time.
(Notice I resisted saying “yet”)
If you keep trying it, and it still feels kinda expensive and not very productive, it’s not because you haven’t figured it out yet.
An automation running at night is fine. Sure, with some AI in it.
But “AI working as you on a night shift” is the wrong mental model.
A stock plan change needs serious human involvement.
I don’t think an ai employee is going to be joining that firm in 6 months for the same reason.
It’s like seeing the invention of a washing machine and and saying we can shut down textile factories. It doesn’t make any sense.