While many of the prior innovations in AI were striking and exciting (AlexNet, CNNs, RNNs, GANs etc) this time does feel different for a few reasons. There is reason to believe while incumbents should capture a good amount of the value in this wave, startups will take a bigger share of AI generated value this time around.
Workflow+model startups will win by combining a fine-tuned model with deep customer insight to build an AI-native workflow. These startups will be particularly well-positioned to win in one of the following 3 scenarios:
Incumbent saas players do not have legacy workflow dominance in that vertical
An AI-native workflow solves the most critical creativ
Fewer jobs-to-be-done. Focus on just 1-2 jobs-to-be done that are shared by many clients. The more jobs, the harder to productize. You can always expand.
Scalable access. Find and tap into high-quality talent channels. Mechanical Orchard did this with the Pivotal Labs network (CEO Rob Mee used to run that company). Where’s your leg up?