We’re living in the era of compound AI but most products are missing the moment

Walk into any product meeting today, and you’ll hear the same buzz:
“How are we adding AI?”

It’s a fair question. We are living through what I call the era of compound AI — a time when any product can be enhanced with AI, layering new capabilities on top of existing value.

But here’s the hard truth: most teams are getting it wrong.

Instead of reimagining their products from first principles, they’re bolting AI onto what already exists — like duct-taping a jet engine onto a bicycle.

The results?
Flashy demos. Excited launch announcements.
And then… slow fade into user indifference.

If you’ve ever used an “AI feature” once, shrugged, and gone back to your old workflow — you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Let’s dig deeper.

The Rise (and Fall) of the “AI Assistant”

Take a look around:
The market is flooded with so-called “AI assistants.”
They usually live in a lonely little sidebar, waiting patiently for you to click on them when you remember they exist.

At first, they seem impressive. They can draft an email, summarize a document, maybe even suggest your next steps.

But here’s the dirty secret — the one product leaders will only tell you behind closed doors:

Most users try them once or twice… then never come back.

Why?
Because these assistants are disconnected from the core experience.

They ask the user to stop what they’re doing, open a new interface, and learn a new way of working — just to maybe save a few minutes.
In a world where attention is scarce and habits are powerful, that’s a losing battle.

I’ve seen it firsthand: in usability tests, in retention metrics, in the quiet disappointments that don’t make it into case studies.

The Mistake Everyone’s Making (and the Opportunity It Creates for You)

The mistake is simple: treating AI like a feature instead of a foundation.

Most teams are adding AI next to the product, not into the product.
They treat it like a shiny accessory, not a core part of the user journey.

And that is exactly why there’s an enormous opportunity for those who dare to think differently.

The best AI experiences don’t announce themselves with glowing “powered by AI” banners.
They don’t require the user to learn new workflows, click new buttons, or develop new habits.

Instead, they feel natural. Invisible. Inevitable.

The product simply becomes faster, smarter, more helpful — in ways that feel obvious in retrospect.

Think about autocomplete in search engines. Think about spam filtering in email.
You don’t think about the AI behind them — you just notice the task got easier.

That’s the bar.

Designing AI That Actually Changes Behavior

Here’s the mindset shift you need:
Don’t ask “Where can we bolt on AI?”
Ask “How would this experience work if we invented it today, with AI as a first-class citizen?”

A few principles to guide you:

• Embed AI into existing workflows, not parallel ones.
• Hide the complexity. Let users feel the benefit without understanding the tech.
• Design for default use. Make the AI-enhanced path the easiest, fastest way to achieve goals.
• Respect user trust. No hallucinations, no surprises. Reliable > magical.

When you design this way, you don’t just add AI — you compound your product’s value.

You create experiences that are both more powerful and more intuitive.
You turn AI from a gimmick into a growth engine.

A Personal Reflection

When I first started working with AI in product design, I made all the mistakes I’ve just described.

I built features that were technically impressive but user-hostile.
I chased “wow” moments instead of durable value.

It took hard lessons — failed launches, candid user feedback, brutal data — to learn this truth:

Real product innovation isn’t about what you can build. It’s about what users can’t imagine living without.

AI gives us powerful new tools.
But tools don’t matter unless they disappear into the experience.

Closing Thought:

The next generation of iconic products won’t be the ones that shout “AI!” the loudest.
They’ll be the ones that quietly, seamlessly, compound user value every single day.

The era of compound AI is here.

The only question is: will you build for it the right way?