The Competitive Moat That AI Can't Replicate

The Competitive Moat That AI Can't Replicate(ghostinthedata.info)

55 points by speckx 3 hours ago | 33 comments

flax 56 minutes ago |

I'm probably in the minority, but I do not want a "connection" with a business. I want transactional interactions that actually work.

That is something that AI is not giving us today. By design. Companies are not switching to AI customer service because it's better or cheaper for the same service. They are choosing to replace customer service with AI chat bots that simulate the customer service experience without actually providing the service part.

kentm 18 minutes ago | |

> I'm probably in the minority, but I do not want a "connection" with a business. I want transactional interactions that actually work.

Every time a business tries to make a "connection" its really just an avenue to exploit or manipulate me. I've never had them making a connection for my benefit (i.e. take a hit to their bottom line).

I'm not asking for altruism but I am asking for them to drop the pretense and quit bullshitting me.

drob518 13 minutes ago | | |

Then they’re doing it wrong. That’s a faux “connection” that just serves the business and not you. I would bet that if you experienced true connection, you’d love it, but you’ve been scammed by fraudsters so many times that you are suspicious of anything that doesn’t feel strictly transactional.

Terr_ 33 minutes ago | |

An "accountability sink" [0] where a major feature of the machine is to cast blame into the void.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unaccountability_Machine

ygouzerh 43 minutes ago | |

Definitely! One exemple is Grab, in all Southeast Asia: what people like is that the app is fluid, and will get you from A to B.

There is no marketing like Uber did sometimes of like: "personal service, free water bottle", and it's still killing it.

Of course, I personally always enjoy a chat with the driver, but many people I know prefer actually not talking.

fxtentacle 40 minutes ago | | |

The grab app shows un-skippable ads. And some taxis even have ads "based on your interests" playing on a TV in front of your seat. I found their "no marketing" ;) to be almost too much.

elevaet 13 minutes ago | | |

Or Gojek!

Eridrus 26 minutes ago | |

I dunno, I talk to the Doordash bot, it gives me a refund for the failed delivery because it didn't score me as doing fraud, I don't care there was no human involved. It's certainly an upgrade over the menu-driven approach that has no room for deviation.

fidotron 43 minutes ago | |

> I want transactional interactions that actually work.

One of the great lies of the modern world is that this actually happens.

enraged_camel 11 minutes ago | |

>> I'm probably in the minority, but I do not want a "connection" with a business. I want transactional interactions that actually work.

I do want a connection. Because connection is what ensures that the transactional interactions continue to work outside of the "happy path". Connection is what ensures that you can return those expensive headphones you bought because extended use makes your neck hurt, even though the return window has passed.

bluGill 34 minutes ago | |

I want a connection to quality products that last until they wear out (or are obsolete). Customer service is part of quality.

mdorazio 1 hour ago |

An AI written post talking about the importance of human connection in the age of AI is hilarious.

wrs 30 minutes ago |

This is great advice, as long as you remember you need both hospitality and service. At some point a warm relationship doesn’t compensate enough for a bad product.

I love that the staff at my little neighborhood bank remembers me, and was so warm and helpful when I had to open an estate account when my mom died, and sometimes I bring my favorite teller a latte on my way back from the coffee shop.

But I still switched my business account to Chase, because my little neighborhood bank’s website is stuck in about 2005, and I just couldn’t put up with it any longer!

ygouzerh 50 minutes ago |

One thing I have a question: what about business that doesn't have hospitaly/B2C? Many exemples relies on the F&B business, which is quite special in the fact that one of the core value proposition is directly hospitality, so we could argue that "adding more hospitality" is actually their core business already.

But what about a company which is more in B2B, and where procurement will be more rationalized (e.g RFP, which is often regulated)?

One thing as well: this is moat from an organization point of view, but unfortunately not for the individual: soft skills are often easier to get than hard skills, and there is so already a competition on the job market for the client-facing roles, even before AI arrival: like Sales / Business Developers / Account Managers (or more internal roles to try to build something that the client would need, like Product Managers)

Animats 41 minutes ago |

Why can't AI replicate that?

Because it's not reliable enough to let it do anything which might cost the service provider. This is the cost of hallucinations. You can't let the customer service AI issue refunds, or upgrade someone to a better room. Not yet, anyway. Agentic AI systems with any real power generate minor disasters on a regular basis.

Simulacra 1 hour ago |

I agree. AI and some of these type of digital platforms are making interactions more efficient, maybe ..less costly but efficiency isn’t the same thing as a real connection. Instead of investing in AI/digitization maybe it's better to invest in employee training and growth.