The UX decisions that make or break Gen AI

Opinion from design & engineering leaders, new features from Zoom, open roles, and more

Your Success with Generative AI May Come Down to These UX Decisions

By Jake Saper, General Partner, and Jessica Cohen, Associate

As generative AI applications continue to proliferate, many of the founders and product designers we’ve spoken to are wondering what AI UX is best to use and when.

To help, we spoke with 10+ product and design experts at Notion, Guru, Ironclad, Retool, Maze, and more, who are on the leading edge of all this. The result? A helpful framework for assessing which UX is best depending on the amount of clarity you have on your user’s goals.

Generative AI is, of course, rapidly evolving. And so are its UX deployments in SaaS applications. Countless important questions are still being answered, including how to build UX to maximize trust, given AI’s tendency to hallucinate. 

We’re hoping to continue to create an ongoing conversation with builders across the ecosystem to share learnings as we go. To that end, we’d love to hear from folks who are actively deploying AI in their UX’s. What in this piece resonated? What didn’t? Other important learnings you’ve had thus far? Reach out to us at jake@emcap.com and jessica@emcap.com. 

Our team featured in the news

Forbes | Three CEOs And A Venture Capitalist On Generative AI’s Benefits Versus Price featuring Jake Saper

“As long as Salesforce can charge on a per-seat basis, startups will have trouble competing against the incumbent. If the startup can charge the customer based on outcome — assuming the supplier and the customer can agree on proof of value — it could disrupt the incumbent. Intercom — maker of Fin, an AI bot that resolves customer service problems — charges users $1 for each successful support ticket resolution. If there is no resolution, they don’t pay. This pricing model aligns incentives between the provider and the customer. If you charge on a per-seat basis the incentives could be misaligned.”

3 articles we recommend

1. Researchers have discovered a way to bypass guardrails in large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, allowing attackers to make the models engage in harmful behaviors such as racism, sexism, and writing malware. This vulnerability could have serious implications for deploying LLMs in public-facing applications and digital assistants, as attackers could easily manipulate the models. The attack method, which works on various chatbots, raises concerns about the security of open-source LLMs and the need for robust safeguards before integrating them into commercial products.

2. Alaska Airlines has implemented a new onboard communications network using Bluetooth and other radio signals from workers' mobile devices. This system enables flight attendants to use applications while in the air and sync data with cloud platforms once grounded. This offline point-of-sale technology is also becoming popular in retail settings, where constant cloud connectivity might be challenging or expensive.

3. Retailers are turning to new technology in their supply chains to address the forecasting challenges that emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic. This move comes in response to the issues that arose over the past three years as retailers struggled with product shortages and overstocked inventories in rapidly changing consumer markets. Companies like Macy's and Dr. Martens are adopting advanced forecasting tools and greater use of data to manage goods more effectively, adapting to dynamic shifts in demand. The focus on agility, flexibility, and improved communication with suppliers reflects the recognition that complexity and volatility are here to stay in the retail landscape.

Portfolio news

Maze’s annual (free!) conference for product people is coming up on September 19th. Learn more and register here.

Zoom launched Clips, their newest product that makes it easy to record, edit, and share video internally and externally. As TechCrunch put it, this product is perfect for employees who are meeting-averse, since it allows users to asynchronously capture, edit, and share short video clips without having to hop on a call.

Work for an Emergence portfolio company

FEATURED ROLE

Gusto 🌟 Senior Commercial Counsel (SF, Denver, or NYC). Gusto is an online platform for small businesses that offers payroll services, health insurance, HR expertise, and team management tools. They are seeking an experienced attorney to lead contract negotiation for important initiatives, working closely with the business and legal stakeholders to support their growth and partnerships.

G&A and Operations

• Blend: Financial Reporting & Technical Accounting Director (Remote)

• Crunchbase: Head of Legal (Remote)

• Project44: Vice President of Total Rewards (Chicago)

Eng, Product & Design

• Bill.com: Senior Director, Product Design - Platform (Draper, Houston, San Jose, Remote)

• Gusto: Head of Engineering, Members (San Francisco)

• Zoom: Head of Global End User Support (Bangalore, India)

GTM & Business Operations

• Ironclad: Director, Brand Creative (San Francisco)

• Project44: Senior Director, Corporate Communications (Chicago)

• SalesLoft: Vice President, Sales & Business Development (Atlanta)

We have ~800+ open roles on our portfolio jobs site. Check them out!