In the author’s opinion, one of the most pertinent critiques of AI design is a 1992 talk by researcher Mark Weiser, in which he referred to AI as “copilots” that talk to users.
Weiser believed AI should be designed to fade into the background and become an extension of the user’s body, as opposed to grabbing their attention.
One such example of this theory in practice is the Head-Up Display (HUD), which gives pilots information such as horizon and altitude through a transparent display.
The author suggests HUDs could be used in modern software design; for example, spellcheck, although seemingly insignificant, gives users a new sense by showing them when they have misspelled a word.
The author also discusses the idea of AI being used to create custom debugger UI, thus extending the user’s senses and mind.
The author concedes that HUDs are not universally better than copilots, but stresses that designers should consider non-copilot form factors that directly extend the human mind.