Where should AI live, exactly?
This is a question I’ve been thinking about a lot lately.
Most of the time, the way we use AI is like: it pops up, you ask a question, and then it’s gone. It’s like a tool hovering over the interface—available on demand, then disappearing after you’re done.
But in some scenarios, AI actually needs its own “window.” Not a sidebar, not a pop-up—an actual space that belongs to it. A place where it can continuously track context, carry your thoughts forward, and work with you, instead of starting from scratch every time.
In this article, I discuss a few questions I find particularly interesting:
When should AI be “embedded” in a product? When does it need to stand on its own, with its own main interface? That decision directly affects your product experience design.
Not all AI features should be tucked away in the corner. Sometimes, giving it a window is the most honest design for users.
If you’re interested, read the full newsletter edition here 👇
https://newsletter.bearliu.com/p/when-ai-needs-its-own-window
This is a question I’ve been thinking about a lot lately.
Most of the time, the way we use AI is like: it pops up, you ask a question, and then it’s gone. It’s like a tool hovering over the interface—available on demand, then disappearing after you’re done.
But in some scenarios, AI actually needs its own “window.” Not a sidebar, not a pop-up—an actual space that belongs to it. A place where it can continuously track context, carry your thoughts forward, and work with you, instead of starting from scratch every time.
In this article, I discuss a few questions I find particularly interesting:
When should AI be “embedded” in a product? When does it need to stand on its own, with its own main interface? That decision directly affects your product experience design.
Not all AI features should be tucked away in the corner. Sometimes, giving it a window is the most honest design for users.
If you’re interested, read the full newsletter edition here 👇
https://newsletter.bearliu.com/p/when-ai-needs-its-own-window