AI and the New 'Valley of Disillusionment': From Euphoria to Reality

With the advancement of technology, artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming an increasingly accessible tool that promises to radically change how we create and manage products. However, despite all its advantages, AI can lead us into a new "valley of disillusionment."

From Euphoria to Disillusionment

At first glance, the capabilities of AI are astonishing: you open tools like Cursor, Lovable, or ChatGPT and can literally create a product prototype in an evening. Over a weekend, you can assemble a minimum viable product (MVP), integrate authentication and payments, and then deploy the project. It seems that AI allows one person to handle tasks that previously required the effort of an entire team.

The Reality of Hidden Complexities

But soon comes the moment when you start to delve deeper and discover that:

• Although authentication works, you don't fully understand where the keys are stored or how access rights are structured.
• Payments are integrated, but questions remain about refunds, disputed transactions, and webhook errors.
• The product functions, but what will happen with increased load or API changes?

This is where the first disillusionment sets in. Not because AI "can't do it." It can do a lot. The problem is that AI quickly creates the illusion of complete control over the product, only to reveal that building a working system and understanding all its risks, connections, and consequences are different things.

From Wow Effect to Learning

This is not the classic Dunning-Kruger effect; it's more of a "valley of disillusionment" after the initial AI wow effect. Initially, you feel capable of anything, but soon you begin to realize how deep engineering truly is.

Why This Stage is Necessary

This stage is beneficial because, after it, AI stops being a magical button and becomes a powerful amplifier for those willing to learn, test, and take responsibility for the final result. AI doesn't make everyone engineers, but it quickly shows how engineering is deeper than just writing working code.

Have you had such a moment with AI: first "wow," and then realizing how much hidden complexity lies under the hood?