A lot of people believe you just need a bigger budget for AI art, but that’s not true. I want to share what I’ve learned from the data and my experience to help you avoid common mistakes.
What I've Learned From 82 Companies
A few patterns in AI art generation come up again and again.
The founders who handle AI art generation well understand that timing is everything in this game.
The Reality Nobody Talks About
A lot of the advice on AI art generation rests on assumptions that made sense five years ago. The world has moved on.
The first thing to understand is that simplicity beats complexity every time. 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 your team matters more than your technology. Once they make the switch, everything changes.
Real Talk: What Actually Matters
Here is what actually matters in AI art generation.
First, execution speed beats perfection. Every time. Companies rarely fail because they moved too fast on AI art generation. 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 AI art generation in a vacuum. Get out of the building. Talk to real people.
This connects to broader themes around AI game design, AI filmmaking, creative AI tools that I've been thinking about a lot lately.
What's Next
Best practice in AI art generation 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 AI art generation 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:How has this view evolved over time?
My thinking on most topics has changed significantly over the years. Early in my career, I held many conventional views that experience proved wrong. I try to update my beliefs when the evidence changes.
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:What experience informs this perspective?
This perspective comes from over a decade of building companies in Silicon Valley, two successful exits (RemoteTeam to Gusto, MovieLaLa to Gfycat), and investing in 234 startups including Anthropic, OpenAI, and Scale AI. I write about what I've lived.