Everyone is talking about Adversarial AI, but 99% of founders are doing it wrong. I learned the hard way so you don't have to.
The Reality Nobody Talks About
A lot of the advice on adversarial AI rests on assumptions that made sense five years ago. The world has moved on.
The first thing to understand is that you need to move fast and break things. I've seen this play out across dozens of companies. The pattern is unmistakable.
Many teams spend months on the wrong path before realizing that the market doesn't care about your roadmap. Once they make the switch, everything changes.
What I've Learned From 85 Companies
Across 234 angel investments, including Anthropic, a few patterns in adversarial AI come up again and again.
The founders who handle adversarial AI well understand that your team matters more than your technology.
Real Talk: What Actually Matters
Here is what actually matters in adversarial AI.
First, execution speed beats perfection. Every time. Companies rarely fail because they moved too fast on adversarial AI. Many fail because they moved too slowly.
Second, measure everything. If you can't measure it, you can't improve it. Set up tracking from day one, even if it's basic.
Third, talk to your users. It sounds obvious, but many founders make decisions about adversarial AI in a vacuum. Get out of the building. Talk to real people.
This connects to broader themes around AI cybersecurity, adversarial AI, zero-day AI, AI threat detection that I've been thinking about a lot lately.
What's Next
Best practice in adversarial AI is changing fast. What worked last year might not work next year. That's both the challenge and the opportunity.
My advice: stay curious, stay humble, and stay close to the people who are actually doing the work. Read less thought leadership and do more experiments. Talk to fewer consultants and more practitioners.
If you're building in this space, the best time to get adversarial AI right is before you need to. Don't wait for a crisis to force your hand.
I'll keep sharing what I learn. This stuff matters too much to keep to myself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:What's the most common pushback you get on this?
People often push back by citing exceptions or edge cases. And they're usually right that exceptions exist. But building a strategy around exceptions rather than patterns is a losing game for most founders.
Q:How can I apply this thinking to my own situation?
Start by identifying the core principle behind the opinion, not the specific example. Then ask yourself: does this principle apply to my context? If yes, test it in a small, low-risk way before going all in.
Q:Do all experts agree with this view?
No, and that's fine. The best ideas in business are often contrarian. I share my perspective based on my experience and data, but I encourage you to seek out opposing viewpoints and form your own conclusions.