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Mon Oct 14 2024

The unattainable dream of having good software for work.

Artificial intelligence promises to solve everything this time. Seriously, I swear.

In today's episode of Decoder, David Pierce, a close friend and co-host of The Vergecast, as well as the Editor-in-Chief at The Verge, joins the conversation. The discussion focuses on a topic that David analyzes in depth: software, especially that which we use in the workplace. This software includes the tools we use daily, which can be enjoyable, tolerable, or, on the contrary, hated and avoided. Work has changed radically since software entered the office, relating to Marc Andreessen's famous saying: "Software is eating the world." However, everything could be on the verge of transforming again due to the automation brought by artificial intelligence.

Enterprise software is generally the term used to describe these tools, although there are often intersections with productivity applications that many use in their daily lives. During the conversation, David helps define this landscape, analyzing the current state of related industries and how these tools influence our way of working, both subtly and significantly. Well-known applications such as Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and Slack are discussed. Additionally, David comments on the emergence of new applications that address specific needs, which seek to employ clever metaphors and innovative interfaces to change our way of working, aiming to make it more efficient and suited to a remote environment.

However, the implementation of these tools does not always go smoothly. The integration of artificial intelligence seems to be drastically accelerating this experimental process. The changes in the landscape are evident, and one effective way to understand the future is to reflect on the present. Throughout the episode, several relevant articles and interviews are mentioned, contributing to understanding the impact of software and artificial intelligence on our work lives.