Would a startup for young creatives who reject AI be feasible?

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• Hacker News
• Non-AI-assets: yup, this is sensible. AI is a signal of being unconcerned about being seen as a cheat, absence is good.

  Non-AI-code: forget it, you won't be able to avoid it in your libraries, and you won't write the whole engine from scratch.

  It's possible to write a whole modern engine without it, but you won't, you'll spin wheels chasing features and never ship.

  by ben_w
• Anti AI startup is definitely feasible but it also depends what you mean by anti AI , the thing is most people who know what they are doing and mostly tech people refuse the use of AI because it feels like they're cheating. But most consumers donot care about that , they just care about convenience. The hype around AI is definitely captivating because of so much it is able to do, Anti AI definitely stands out because of so much AI stuff going around but the startup needs to be still good, For example: if you just make a game company saying you never use AI that's not very convincing for anyone to play the games. People don't care about whether you used AI or not most of the time , they care about the game. But if you start a company claiming to make a AI less smartphone with extra privacy that's something people might like because AI is literally EVERYWHERE right now. I'm not very good at examples but you get my point
  by KinetiNode
• I think (good) VCs will always first and foremost look for the quality of the idea, the potential value returned and solidity of who's pitching it (solidity in terms of ability to deliver, passion, be willing to make sacrifices and learn, etc). And I think VCs are realizing now that there are a lot of people that are not trusting AI so the market attractiveness a product that says AI front and center is not granted.

  So yes I don't think that everything needs to have AI by default.

  by worklifepanda
• When people offer services to "convert reference images to pixel art", to me it registers as an impossibility. If its automatic conversion (of any kind, AI or not), how can it be considered "art"? No wonder creatives of all kinds are either angry or apathetic about it.

  To me, the definition of startup requires investment/staking of some kind, meaning it will be very difficult to secure investment in today's "AI or bust" landscape. Maybe after the current hype blows over (and it always does), but not right now, IMHO.

  Just my 2c (honest take, maybe even load bearing).

  by dormento
• I'm curious about provenance. What you're describing sounds kind of like Etsy and while there are still genuine things to be found there it's mostly flooded with mass-produced stuff. The more of a premium "hand-made" artifacts attract, the greater the incentive to counterfeit them.
  by xyzzy123
• I think for kids coming out of university, going against the grain might be one of the most valuable things you can do. The essential skills of critical thinking, problem solving, intuitive and linear thinking, and improvisation are not going anywhere. AI is a very impressive technology but it also is one that steals valuable mental exercise from its users. I can't say that eschewing AI will lead to a successful startup but I have a good feeling that connecting with other people who want to do things the hard way and then doing it will be an extremely valuable experience this early in your tenure. If this AI trend does continue, this will give you and your friends a leg up on those who didn't put in the hours.
  by CoolestBeans
• You would be foolish to completely avoid AI, but you are also right to be careful. AI is best used for boring stuff that's non-critical, and for stopping you from having to reinvent the wheel.

  For example for a game, you could use AI to finish a sprite sheet based on a couple frames you provide, or to give you a pathfinding algorithm.

  AI is a resource, and a startup has a better chance of success the better it leverages the few resources it has.

  by mircerlancerous
• There absolutely is a market - anti-AI sentiment among creatives isn't going away. Like any other "purity" branding, it's a real commitment and severely limits your future ability to pivot.

  I don't know of anyone in the VC or traditional incubator communities who has an appetite for this. And the groups who are an ideological fit don't have the funds to be worth pursuing.

  It's a niche. Like most niches, there's the opportunity to prosper, but yeah - bootstrapping (or angel-bootstrapping if you're lucky and have a personal connection) is pretty much the only way to go here.

  by thaeli