AI Consumer Opportunities

Emmett Shear describes how AI is creating new opportunities to reimagine consumer internet companies by fundamentally changing how data and experiences can be captured and delivered.

Key Points:

• AI Enables New Consumer Experiences:

  • First time in 5-7 years that consumer internet companies are exciting again
  • AI allows complete reimagining of consumer experiences from the ground up
  • Experience is the product in consumer companies, unlike B2B SaaS

• Video as the New Database:

  • Instead of structured data entry, capture raw video/media
  • AI watches and extracts metadata and insights
  • Can retroactively extract new types of data without recollecting
  • Example: Restaurant reviews via video instead of text/photos
    • AI can analyze noise levels, ambiance, etc. on demand
    • No need to explicitly collect each data point
    • More natural user experience starting with camera open

• Disruption Opportunity:

  • Levels playing field between startups and incumbents
  • Existing structured databases become less valuable
  • New experiences can be 10x better than current solutions
  • Similar to how mobile created opportunities to reimagine existing services

• Implementation Approach:

  • Start with camera-first experiences
  • Let AI handle converting raw media to structured data
  • Focus on natural user behaviors rather than formal data entry
  • Build for flexible data extraction rather than fixed schemas