When AI features leave the demo room.

A demo can hide rough edges because the path is already known. A shipped AI feature has to survive partial inputs, slow networks, confused users, and outputs that are technically correct but operationally useless.

The interface matters because it decides how uncertainty is shown. I care most about confidence signals, review loops, fallback states, and handoffs that let people stay in control without turning the product into a checklist.

The useful version of AI is usually less theatrical: clear context, narrow actions, visible revision, and a record of what changed.