World's Fair 2025
The Bitter Layout or: How I Learned to Love the Model Picker — Maximillian Piras, Yutori
Overview
This talk explores the evolution of AI user interfaces, arguing that the current dominant chat-based layout, while functional, is a "bitter layout" that prioritizes adaptability to new models over optimal user experience. It suggests that as models become less commoditized, the interface itself becomes the commodity, necessitating a shift in design philosophy towards goal-oriented and constraint-based approaches, akin to gardening rather than construction.
Who should watch
- AI Engineers
- Product Managers
- Builders of AI-powered applications
- UX/UI Designers working with AI
- Anyone interested in the future of AI interaction paradigms
Key takeaways
- Many AI applications, from chatbots to coding assistants, exhibit a consistent, turn-by-turn chat-like layout with model selection dropdowns, often feeling like a retrofit of existing technology.
- The "model picker" can be viewed as a form of mode selection, where switching models drastically changes output, which can be unintuitive and complex for users.
- The concept of product architecture, distinguishing between integrated and modular systems, can be applied to AI interfaces, helping determine where to prioritize integration versus modularity.
- The "bitter lesson" suggests that as long as scaling laws hold, models are not commoditized, making the interface the commodity. This leads to layouts optimized for absorbing new model capabilities.
- A shift from procedural thinking to goal- and constraint-based programming is necessary for designing AI interfaces, especially as applications become more stochastic and dynamic.
- Design systems, user stories, and quality assurance processes can be adapted to guide generative AI, moving towards a more collaborative and less construction-like design process.
- The future of AI UX may involve a mindset shift towards "gardening" AI systems, nurturing them within defined goals and constraints, rather than strictly building them.
Notable quotes
*If the model's not commoditized, it's actually the interface that's the commodity now.*
*Generative AI systems are more grown than they are built.*
Unofficial community note. Prefer the recording for nuance.