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Lessons from the red button
What an early experiment taught us about ambition, patience, and knowing when something is ready.
Aug 17, 2024
1 min read
The ask
In 2023, the idea felt like a red button: use generative AI to produce finished entertainment work at the push of a button. The ambition was understandable. The tools and working practices were not ready to carry all of it.
Both sides of the table
The hard part was being on both sides of the table: commissioning the work, funding it, pressuring it, leading the technical team, and receiving the output all at once.
Expectation management is part of technical delivery.
When scope moves
Scope moved because capability moved. Expectations moved because nobody yet had the map. The industry climate made the cultural layer as heavy as the technical layer.
What the work needs
Delivery depends on a shared understanding of what is possible, enough time to try it, and people who can use the result. Clear expectations matter as much as technical skill.
What we carry forward
That experience informs how we work today. We explore the possibility, test what matters, and agree what it will take to make the result useful. Honest limits leave room for better work.
Scope honestly
Match the ambition to what the tools can do.
Protect trust
Keep expectations clear and shared.
Name readiness
Give people time and support to learn.
Make it useful
Make something people can use.
Why we started in 2022
What we learned by beginning early.
2022 field note / 1 min readThe move and the moat
The story behind our name, and the place of human judgment in AI.
Jun 14, 2023 / 2 min readMore notes from the work, the experiments, and the lessons we carry forward.
Try it the right way.
Begin with a prepared Signal Triage working session and practical next steps.