Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More As businesses rush to adopt AI , they’re discovering an unexpected truth: Even the most rational enterprise buyers aren’t making purely rational decisions — their subconscious requirements go far beyond the conventional software evaluation standards. Let me share an anecdote: It’s November 2024; I’m sitting in a New York City skyscraper, working with a fashion brand on their first AI assistant.
The avatar, Nora, is a 25-year-old digital assistant displayed on a six-foot-tall kiosk. She has sleek brown hair, a chic black suit and a charming smile. She waves “hi” when recognizing a client’s face, nods as they speak and answers questions about company history and tech news.
I came prepared with a standard technical checklist: response accuracy, conversation latency, face recognition precision...
But my client didn’t even glance at the checklist. Instead, they asked, “Why doesn’t she have her own personality? I asked her favorite handbag, and she didn’t give me one!” Changing how we evaluate technology It’s striking how quickly we forget these avatars aren’t human. While many worry about AI blurring the lines between humans and machines , I see a more immediate challenge for businesses: A fundamental shift in how we evaluate technology.
When software begins to look and act human, users stop evaluating it as a tool and begin j.
