SE5E02 We Love Ugly Data - Debunking AI Agents

30 mins of biting the hand that feeds us - demystifying and debunking the enterprise software market. 

The thirty-sixth (not the thirty-fifth, as Matt says) episode of the podcast you know and love as "We Love Ugly Data!" is out; available in audio form everywhere you get your podcasts, and in video form via YouTube (which we've embedded below). Matt and Alan are in the chairs, and they catch up on some recent blog posts on how software isn't dead (again), how crazy promises on AI's future are not helping things, and celebrate that Deep Analysis is now in its 10th year of operation.

In this month’s episode:

Software is Dead. Again.

It's been a year, but apparently software is deal again. And only 12 months since it was last dead. Here, Alan and Matt discuss the recent blog post "The 'Death of SaaS' Narrative is a Luxury the Enterprise Cannot Afford" that Alan posted in response to a lot of discussion about how current models for procuring software are over, and also, whilst we were there, software licensing is over too. The reality, of course, is somewhat different, and having discussed this, they touch on Matt's recent post "Beware the promises made by blank sheets of paper," where there are reminders that enterprises are complicated, and also, as a result, some companies are choosing to hold AI at the perimeter to keep things simple.

Stupid AI Predictions

Noting that software vendors usually rely on industry analysts to make really dumb predictions, but this time it's Microsoft (again). In an interview with the FT, head of Microsoft AI Mustafa Suleyman suggested that many while-collar roles will be entirely automated by AI in 12 to 18 months. Matt in particularly is very annoyed by this suggestion, describing it as "deeply dishonest", and then explaining why. He also points out that Suleyman's hiring was noted in a previous blog post of his from almost 2 years ago, in which he also suggested watching the "cash at hand" figure for software vendors. That seems to be now attracting a bit more attention. Finally, he also points out that Jad Tarifi of Integral AI has said some equally dumb things, such as that doctors (or lawyers) shouldn't be trained because AI will overtake their knowledge during training.

Deep Analysis is (almost) 10

Finally, Alan's written about how Deep Analysis is in its 10th year of operation, some of the areas where we've led thinking ahead of the game, and why we do things the way we do. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=darqcAv-Agw

Related Links for Series 5 Episode 2
Alan's blog post "The 'Death of SaaS' Narrative is a Luxury the Enterprise Cannot Afford".
Matt's accompanying blog post: "Beware the promises made by blank sheets of paper."
The FT interview with Mustafa Suleyman (subscription required)
"Ex–Googler says degrees in law and medicine are