Is AI-Native Possible?

Is it possible to build a brand new, bespoke product without relying on reusable commodities?

During my last trip to Vienna we spent some time visiting various museums. One of the last visits we made was to the Jewish Museum of the City of Vienna. After enjoying the exhibition, we made a stop at the museum cafe. If was then and there that we got blown away by the best dessert we’ve ever had. I forget the name of the dessert we ordered with our coffee, but it was insanely good. An almost ungodly combination of delicious chocolate crust at the top, followed by thin layer of marzipan which was followed by a thick layer of ground poppy seed paste that was cooked in butter, milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Below that thick layer of poppy seeds paste was another layer of marzipan, and bellow that layer was a nice layer of sour cherry jam. Then a generous layer of hazelnut paste, finished by a thin layer of flour crust (refer to the photo above for visual details).

The taste and the textures were heavenly. That experience stayed with us forever, and wherever we were to travel afterwards, we were always looking for a place where we were hoping to find the same, or a similar dessert.

Unfortunately, such place does not seem to exist. The elusive dessert seems to be a very rare specialty found only in the Jewish Museum of the City of Vienna cafe.

Hypothetical Scenario

Imagine being able to walk into a cafe, any cafe, and order the above dessert. Of course, you won’t be able to find it on the menu. The staff in those cafes would be confused, as they’ve never even heard of such an intricately prepared dessert.

But what if there was a way to order it regardless of it not being on the menu?

Hm, how would that be possible? Imagine, if you will, a situation where you would be able to explain to the waiter what kind of dessert you’d like to order. Suppose the kitchen staff at a cafe has a way to obtain the ingredients necessary to make such dessert of your dreams. In this case, the kitchen staff would be able to prepare, at the drop of a hat, the poppy seed paste, the crunchy chocolate top crust, the sour cherry jam, the marzipan, and the hazelnut paste, and the assemble the cake according to your description.

Of course, such hypothetical cafe does not exist, and probably cannot exist. It would be too much to expect that kitchen staff could satisfy any customer, coming at them with such fancy wishes. There are some real life limitations in terms of constituent ingredient as well as the staff skill levels, and those limitations render this hypothetical scenario untenable.

What Is AI-Native?

To me, AI-Native would be similar to the above hypothetical scenario. A needy customer arrives and fancies something bespoke, something unique, something that cannot be obtained on the commoditized market. There are no prefab components that would be akin to the “make your own sandwich” situations in a typical deli. No, we’re talking brand new, very original product, something that is not readily available on the market.

Current state of software technology is incapable of offering that. There are reusable components and reusable/tweakable systems, but those commodities can hardly deliver something original. We need a more flexible technological solution.

Enter AI-Native. With this technology, a customer can order any outlandish product without having to pick any items from a menu. If the system can satisfy customer’s wishes, that system qualifies to be called AI-Native.

Is it possible to achieve such state of technology, and if yes, what needs to happen for it to become a reality? And also, how much longer until we get there?