"We have entered a world where the experience is generated in the moment, and users react to it. The days when products rendered code that produced exactly what we designed are numbered. When someone uses an AI product, they are responding to behavior unfolding in real time, shaped by probabilistic systems rather than fixed screens. This marks a break from the era where designers could predict and control every outcome, and it forces UX to confront a new kind of material."
"AI products are defined by non-deterministic behavior. The experience is something that unfolds on the fly, produced by AI models. What users see, read, hear, or are guided through is the result of systems making decisions on their behalf. Yet much of the current focus in UX and AI remains on production speed. Faster prototyping. Vibe coding. These practices matter, but they stop short of addressing the real shift AI introduces."
"The real transformation of our craft lies in designing how the model behaves. Engineering, and now Product, have moved upstream. They shape models, constrain outputs, define system behavior, and determine what is possible or impossible. UX often treats the model as a black box and designs around it. The result is AI products that may appear user-centered, but are often misaligned with the user intent and, at times, harmful."
AI-driven experiences are generated in real time by probabilistic systems, so users respond to behavior rather than fixed interfaces. Non-deterministic outputs mean outcomes cannot be fully predicted or controlled by designers. Current UX emphasis on faster prototyping and production speed overlooks the necessity of designing model behavior. Engineering and product teams increasingly define experience through prompts, fine-tuning, orchestration, and evaluation, shaping what is possible. UX often remains downstream, styling outputs without influencing core behavior, leading to misalignment with user intent and potential harm. The real leverage in AI product design lies in shaping model decisions and system constraints.
Read at Medium
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