AI is an amplifier

AI is not only an assistant, it is an amplifier.

A recent edition of the Platform Fix newsletter put forward a view of AI that I hadn’t seen written down before:

AI is a force multiplier. It multiplies whatever you already have - including your problems.

The key here is that you need to above a threshold for the amplification to be successful.

    1.1 to the power of 10 = 2.59 (2dp)

    0.9 to the power of 10 = 0.35 (2dp)

Depending on your starting point there is a significant difference.

The benefit of having good foundations and the key skills in place can have a huge impact.

The implications are that for a project to be a success you need to invest time to make sure that what the AI is building on - whether that is the way of working or the requirements are at a sufficiently good level to make sure that the AI is an amplifier for good.

Vibe coding will work at the start, and may be good enough for some scenarios, but the more you lean on AI then every iteration will amplify any issues.