World's Fair 2024
We accidentally made an AI platform: Jamie Turner
Overview
This talk introduces Convex as a platform that accidentally became an AI development tool. Initially designed to replace traditional backend engineering with a high-level, functional interface similar to Firebase, Convex's pervasive data flow tracking and reactive paradigm proved exceptionally well-suited for generative AI applications. The platform's ability to seamlessly sync state between backend processes and the application frontend has led to over 90% of its projects being AI-related since the post-ChatGPT boom.
Who should watch
- AI engineers and builders
- Product Managers working with AI features
- Developers looking to simplify backend engineering for AI applications
- Teams struggling with state management in complex AI workflows
- Startups building generative AI products
Key takeaways
- Convex extends the reactive data flow paradigm, common in frontend frameworks like React, to the backend, enabling pervasive state tracking and dependency management.
- This reactive backend architecture is highly beneficial for generative AI applications, facilitating seamless state synchronization between backend actions and the user interface.
- A significant majority of projects on Convex are now generative AI applications, indicating the platform's strong product-market fit in this domain.
- Convex has introduced developer-requested features like vector indexing directly into its schema definition, simplifying AI-specific infrastructure needs.
- The platform is actively supporting the AI startup ecosystem through programs offering discounts and exclusive community access.
- A new components framework is forthcoming, designed to encapsulate complex AI workflows into reusable building blocks for rapid development.
- The core mission of Convex is to abstract away the complexities of backend engineering, allowing developers to focus more on product and user value.
Notable quotes
*We accidentally made an AI platform and what are we going to do about it.*
*90 plus percent of projects on convex are generative AI.*
*If you're building something cool in gender of AI and you want to sort of ship with confidence and quickly check us out at convex dodev.*
Unofficial community note. Prefer the recording for nuance.