Is AI Just a Fad?

The recent hype around Artificial Intelligence that started when ChatGPT was released in 2022 has some resemblance to the internet hype in the end of the 90’s and the beginning of the new millennium.

The internet hype then

Back then every business, big and small, suddenly found themselves needing to embrace the future of online commerce and get themselves a homepage. All kinds of businesses from the large corporations to the local hardware store and hair salon invested in the future by paying big bucks to the newly started web design firms (if they were not lucky enough to have a computer-wiz nephew that could help them out).

Although the new homepage could be impressive when it was new, it often turned out to have very little impact or value for the business. It was still the ads in the mail and in the local newspaper that was driving the business to the hardware store and to the hair salon.

Those who invested in online booking systems would find that most customers still preferred using the old telephone line to book their appointments. Eventually most of those homepages were forgotten and many of the web firms went out of business.

So, was it all just a fad? Of course not. Twenty years later the tables have turned, and a solid online presence is now an essential part of most businesses, both large and small. It just takes some time both for technology to mature and for people to get used to new ways of doing things.

The AI hype now

Just as everyone needed a homepage in the end of the 90’s today everyone needs their software to be AI-powered. So, the software companies are all busy trying to figure out how to best use an LLM (Large Language Model) in their apps. They will add a text field where the user can ask questions about their data or maybe get automatic summaries or generated images. Sometimes it’s useful – often it’s not, and many of those text boxes will soon be forgotten.

So, is all this AI just a fad? Of course not. This technology will find its place even faster than the IT-technology of the early 2000s did. Also, the world is already full of technology that you don’t even think of as “AI” anymore, like voice recognition, image recognition and smart searches – all of which was the cutting edge of artificial intelligence just 10-20 years ago.

AI and precision

Why we at Configura have not yet added the “AI text box” to our software is because we are making sure that it adds real value before we do.

Our software is based on precision. When you use it to make your designs and your quotations, you rely on it to give you correct bills of materials where every calculation is correct, and every number adds up.

A well-known aspect of today’s large language models is their lack of precision. This is often called “AI hallucination” and refers to when the AI-model confidently says something that just is not true.

Does that mean that we will not use AI in our software? Of course not.

You will hear us say that our new technological platform is “AI native”. Being native means being familiar with what is safe and what is unsafe in your environment. So, what we mean by “AI native” is that we

create our platform based on our knowledge of both the strengths and the weaknesses of the AI models that we use.

Conclusion

One of the most notable strengths of today’s AI models is their ability to suggest ideas, assist with searches, and help you explore alternatives.

Where they’re still lacking is in delivering complete solutions or performing precise calculations and validations.

Our vision for the future: Let AI do what it does best—offer intelligent suggestions—while leaving calculations, product rules, and critical judgment calls to our proven software components... and to you.

In other words: Our upcoming platform will leverage AI where it shines, without compromising the precision you rely on.

🔔 Stay Informed and Connected!

Subscribe to our Community Highlights blog for the latest Configura news, user insights, and updates on internal initiatives.