September 26, 2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Even artificial intelligence (AI) expert Nikko Patten Weinstein admits to being equal parts excited and terrified when it comes to AI’s future. That said, the opportunities for online sellers to improve workflow are too much to pass up. For those still on the sidelines, it may be time to explore the game. Prosper Show sat down with Weinstein, senior director of Data & Analytics at Carbon6, to get an overview of the current platforms and possibilities in the brave new world.
Prosper Show: What’s the current level of AI sophistication among online sellers?
Weinstein: I’ve really seen a wide range of sophistication amongst sellers. Some are using platforms like Make.com or n8n to build some really impressive and sophisticated automations. On the other hand, I see a lot of sellers waiting on the sidelines, wondering when AI will be ‘worth it’. Given the improvements to the foundation models even in just the past several months, and the rapid evolution of tools and applications using them, I expect most if not all sellers will start finding some key workflows using AI that will materially impact their day-to-day work.
Prosper Show: What is the biggest misconception about AI?
Weinstein: One of the most common misconceptions I see is misinterpreting LLM [learning language model] outputs through our own lens of human intelligence. There’s an interesting contradiction here. On one hand, I constantly coach people to interact with LLMs like they would with teammates (since I find that’s better than any ‘prompt recipe’). On the other hand, the types of generative AIs we’re all talking about are fundamentally a very different type of ‘intelligence’ than our own. You’ll see tweets sensationalizing how AI “thinks” or “desires,” but these systems are just predicting the next word based on patterns in data. It’s more so holding up a mirror to ourselves and our own works of fiction and literature than any insight into some consciousness.
Prosper Show: How are online sellers successfully using AI?
Weinstein: I see two primary success categories. The first is using AI to enhance automation. In addition to all the traditional automation and integration tools we had in the past, we now also have a whole new set of capabilities that previously only humans could perform, like sentiment analysis, text classification, text synthesis, and summarization etc.
The second category is more individual. I’ve seen some really effective workflows where sellers treat AI almost like a blend of part co-founder and part executive assistant — using it as an advanced sounding board. As an example, they might record voice notes and use AI to synthesize those rough ideas into actionable strategies, or talk through roadblocks and let the AI help them brainstorm solutions where they might otherwise get stuck.
Prosper Show: What is currently the biggest limitation of AI?
Weinstein: On the technical side, the biggest limitation I currently see is that LLMs are stuck in what we call “Type 1” thinking—they’re reactive, immediate, almost instinctual, like 2+2=4. No calculation or critical thinking required, just immediate response. To get the most out of them, we have to slow things down and break complex tasks into smaller parts. This compensates for their tendency to jump to conclusions rather than engage in more reflective or strategic thinking. That said, this is rapidly evolving as we’re seeing with OpenAI’s o1 model series where they’re really focusing on getting models to produce chains of reasoning before responding.
Prosper Show: What is your level of optimism about the future of AI technology?
Weinstein: I’m both 10 out of 10 excited and 10 out of 10 terrified. To borrow a phrase from one of Anthropic’s founders; AI is one of the most powerful tools humanity has ever created, and we’ve yet to find the ceiling on even this current technical approach. The terrified bit is how much change is going to happen all at once, and hoping that humanity can find ways to mitigate the negative impacts.
Prosper Show: For online sellers who are worried about holiday season prep, what advice would you give now that Cyber Monday is a little over two months away?
Weinstein: I know this is an intense time for Amazon/online sellers. My best advice is pretty simple; Don’t panic. I’m a big fan of “slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.” Take a breath. Slow down. Maybe even use AI to help gather your thoughts, help you prioritize, make a plan, and then act with intention.
Nikko Patten Weinstein is a serial entrepreneur and technology leader who’s been founding companies of all kinds for more than a decade. Most recently he co-founded Junglytics (recently acquired by Carbon6). He is based in Washington, D.C. and currently serving as senior director of Data & Analytics at Carbon6.
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