@yadong_xie: Two years ago I was very pessimistic about the application layer, but after observing the products that actually emerged over the past two years, my view has changed. When cameras appeared, people thought painters would be replaced. But painters didn't disappear; photographers became a new profession. However, for most people, knowing how to press the shutter neither makes them replace painters nor...
Summary
The poster shares a shift in perspective on the AI application layer, using the analogy of cameras and painters to illustrate that agents do not automatically confer system design, product judgment, or other abilities. Output becomes cheaper, but good products do not automatically increase.
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Cached at: 05/23/26, 08:02 AM
Two years ago, I was very pessimistic about the application layer, but after observing a batch of products that have actually taken off over the past two years, my view has changed.
When the camera came along, people thought painters would be replaced. It turned out painters didn’t disappear, and photographers became a new profession.
But for the vast majority of people, being able to press the shutter doesn’t enable them to replace painters, nor to become photographers.
Agents won’t automatically grant people system design, product judgment, engineering quality control, or aesthetic judgment.
Output will get cheaper, but good products won’t automatically become more abundant.
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