Ben Davies-Romano

So, AI is working - spectacularly - for corporate balance sheets. Apple authorised a $110 billion share repurchase on May 2, 2024 (its largest ever). Shortly after, Nvidia's board approved an additional $50 billion in buyback authorization, and another $60 billion in Aug 2025. and initiated a quarterly cash dividend that December. From the user side, the momentum is more mixed than it might initally look on the surface when you venture outside the tech bubble..

A few days ago, I was catching up with a designer friend who recently returned to work after 9 months off for maternity leave. During her absence, it's fair to say her team have gone absolutely bananas for AI. "I keep avoiding AI," they said. "Every time I think about opening ChatGPT, I get this anxious feeling - like I'm already behind, like everyone else has figured it out and I'm the only one who hasn't touched it." Sound familiar?

I’d argue that you can see evidence of good UX in user feedback and engagement metrics, but it’s not always easy to point down. A few times, I’ve had app store reviews on apps I’ve worked on referencing UX directly. In the past, I’d be fairly certain these come from other UX folk, but recently, I have noticed the term being adopted more broadly.