A Font that AI Can't Read, Getty Goes Bankrupt, and a New Job for Journey Maps

Dear Reader,

Happy Halloween! I've got you a full sack of newsletter treats for you and the product team so let's jump right into it.

Here's what you need to know about the last two weeks in the tech/product/design world...

A font that hides words from AI

Source

Eric Lu's new Decoy Font is a typeface that (for now) allows you to hide things from AI.

It's an old trick called Hybrid Image where each letter has two letters. Up close the outlines spell a decoy word: "treat" in the above image. But from far away, a blurry version spells the real message ("trick").

The key is that AI reads the lined-based word, not the blurry dark one that seems clearer to the human eye.

It's free for personal, commercial, and client work, so enjoy writing little insults for your agent that only you can read...I know what I'm doing this Friday night.

Download the font here.

Meanwhile, AI-generated images claimed a victim

Getty Images filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on October 21. In a sign of the times, the company has gone bankrupt due to AI-generated competition.

It's not closing completely, though. They're going private, and they say we won't notice a thing. Not sure how that works, but we'll miss the celebrity photos nobody asked for, and we'll especially miss the weird stock photos. I know you didn't ask, but here are some of my favorites:

Wow, this toast is going to be delicious...

Val Kilmer and Nicole Kidman being completely normal

Just candid shots of real people doing real things

What happens at the intersection of art & design

source

Reverse Engineer Anything (REA)

Source

Ever looked at an app and thought, "I wonder how they built that and I wonder if I could get Claude to re-create it?"

Well...you're in luck. This free open-sourced toolkit gives your AI agent the power to take apart software and tell you how it works.

Not to give you a fright, but you will probably have to use the terminal...😱

Get a second (and third) opinion

Since AI loves to agree with you, here's a prompt that makes it argue with itself instead.

Act as two advisors analyzing [decision]. Advisor A argues for [option 1] as a [role with a stake]. Advisor B argues for [option 2] as a different [role with a stake]. Each gives 3 arguments with reasoning. Then write a one-paragraph reconciliation stating which arguments survive scrutiny and what recommendation follows. Flag any claim that needs verification.

Source: r/PromptEngineering

Have you tried unplugging yourself?

source

Realization rate

The Realization Rate is how much value actually shows up as measurable results. If the business says we're going to get a million in savings, but you only get 200k, the realization rate is 20%.

Bain just released an article rating AI, and the realization rate across 951 companies is not good:

Software companies are realizing just 38% of the expected value of AI, according to them
Boring normal automation delivered 52% but only after two decades
40% of companies measuring AI savings got <10%

It seems like the realization rate for AI is still going to take some time. But it's a great example of how a realization rate might not be what you expect.

How to use the term: When someone pitches something, ask, "What's the realization rate?" The response is always a guess, and it forces people to frame the risk in realistic terms...and you seem like a real top dawg for asking about it. You're welcome.

A new job for your journey maps and service blueprints

Harvard Business Review just released an article that pitches a solution for AI's poor performance: mapping. Yes, that journey mapping and service blueprinting we all know and love has a new use, and that's mapping where work can be redesigned with AI.

Here's what they found with mapping:

44% more AI use cases
12% higher task completion
18% more likely to land customers
2x the revenue

So don't sleep on mapping.

Visualize those workflows from end to bloody end. And tell 'em Harvard said you'll get a 44% boost for it. And when they say, "A 44% boost in what?!" Just nod your head yes and keep mapping.