"Julie Bornstein thought it would be a cinch to implement her idea for an AI startup. Her résumé in digital commerce is impeccable: VP of ecommerce at Nordstrom, COO of the startup Stitch Fix, and founder of a personalized shopping platform acquired by Pinterest. Fashion has been her obsession since she was a Syracuse high schooler inhaling spreads in Seventeen and hanging out in local malls. So she felt well-positioned to create a company for customers to discover the perfect garments using AI."
"The reality was much harder than she expected. I had breakfast recently with Bornstein and her CTO, Maria Belousova, to learn about her startup, Daydream, funded with $50 million from VCs like Google Ventures. The conversation took an unexpected turn as the women schooled me on the surprising difficulty of translating the magic of AI systems into something people actually find useful."
"Ever since ChatGPT launched in late 2022, people have been blown away by the tricks performed by AI, but study after study has shown that the technology has not yet delivered a significant boost in productivity. (One exception: coding.) A study published in August found that 19 out of 20 AI enterprise pilot projects delivered no measurable value. I do think that productivity boost is on the horizon, but it's taking longer than people expected."
Julie Bornstein has deep experience across digital commerce and fashion leadership, including roles at Nordstrom, Stitch Fix, and a startup acquired by Pinterest. Bornstein and her CTO launched Daydream with $50 million in venture funding to use AI to match customers with ideal garments. Translating impressive AI capabilities into reliably useful consumer experiences has proven unexpectedly difficult. Multiple studies show AI has not yet produced broad productivity gains—coding stands out as an exception—and one study found 19 of 20 enterprise AI pilots delivered no measurable value. Continued persistence and iteration may eventually produce meaningful breakthroughs.
Read at WIRED
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