Two Lessons Learned from Failed AI Experiments

Hello, my friend! 👋

I want to share two examples of using AI that didn't go as planned. Initially, they seemed promising, but after some exploration and sharing, they fell flat. Here's what happened:

Example 1: The Short Video

One day, I saw a trending video on Twitter from a famous Chinese TV show. It was a dramatic meme recreated as a learning video. Why not try this in another language? So, I took the famous scene from the movie "Taken" and used it to introduce generative AI. I spent about an hour creating, testing, and sharing it on LinkedIn and other social media. The result? Zero interaction. People didn't engage with it like they do with my other posts 😞

Example 2: The Infographic

I learned about a prompt that generates cartoon-style images from realistic photos. After testing, I created an image using Nvidia's CEO, Jensen Huang's profile picture. It would be interesting to assemble a shareable piece, so I made a timeline for NVIDIA featuring this image as the primary visual element. I shared it on social media, but my performance on Twitter and LinkedIn could have been better. Considering I spent almost two hours on this(a whole night's time for a working dad), the return on investment (ROI) was disappointing.

Here are my learnings from these two failed experiments:

1. Noise Over Signal 📢

In the fast-growing AI industry, there's a lot of hype. New tools and tips pop up daily, and the fear of missing out (FOMO) is real. Emails touting "8 must-have resources for learning AI" or "12 game-changing tools for your productivity" flood our inboxes. But in reality, identifying genuine needs is rare. This means that failed experiments, like my video and infographic, are inevitable. I spent time testing the possibility of the tool rather than providing value from the posts to the audience. That's a good lesson.

2. Shorten the Test and Fail Loop ⌛️

For these projects, I spent 1-2 hours each to quickly put them together and tested them on social media. The results weren't great, but I learned from them and moved on. If I had spent a whole week perfecting the workflow, finding fancy prompts, or setting up automation, only to discover the projects weren't valuable, it would have been a more significant waste of time. I'm glad I only invested a few hours and got quick feedback. I'll keep this short-feedback-loop style for upcoming AI experiments as my primary approach.

That's what I learned about AI this week.

Five cool things I’d like to share with you today 🙂

• Turn Articles into Podcasts with AI in Minutes!

• Turn Book Highlights into Reviews with AI in Minutes!

• Make $6,435 Per Month Selling Minimalist Maps

• Fix Your Selfie Arm for Free with Adobe Firefly

• Did Freepik Just Kill MidJourney?

Turn Articles into Podcasts with AI in Minutes!

How to use AI to convert articles into podcast conversations 利用AI将文章在几分钟内变成播客！

Turn Book Highlights into Reviews with AI in Minutes!

How to transform your book highlights into a comprehensive book review using ChatGPT 书摘变书评：用AI在几分钟内完成！

Make $6,435 Per Month Selling Minimalist Maps

Learn how to create and sell custom minimalistic map prints on Etsy, tapping into a lucrative market with ease. 学习如何在 Etsy 上创建和销售定制的极简地图印刷品，轻松进入一个有利可图的市场

Fix Your Selfie Arm for Free with Adobe Firefly

Learn how to effortlessly correct your selfie arm using Adobe Firefly, making your photos look perfect in minutes. 了解如何使用 Adobe Firefly 轻松纠正自拍手臂，让你的照片在几分钟内看起来完美。

Did Freepik Just Kill MidJourney?

How Freepik’s AI tools can revolutionize your design workflow with faster, more flexible image generation compared to MidJourney. Freepik 的 AI 工具如何通过更快、更灵活的图像生成彻底改变您的设计工作流程，相较于 MidJourney 提供更高效和多样化的图像生成。

Have a great one and see you soon!

Love from Bear, your design + AI friend 😎