Simon Andrews: Between the Hype and the Hope of AI

When it comes to spotting the big waves in modern technology, Simon Andrews has been there for all of them. From the dawn of the internet to the rise of mobile and social media, he’s had a front-row seat for each seismic shift. Now, as the hype around artificial intelligence crescendos, Andrews is once again observing the turbulence - but he’s not buying into all of it.

Listen to the full interview

“AI looks promising, but nothing yet has changed anyone’s life,” he tells AI Haven’t a Clue. It’s a typically sober line from the man behind Fix, a sharp and much-read newsletter that slices through tech hype to get at what really matters.

AI: The Next Internet… or the Next Segway?

Andrews has seen this movie before. The fanfare around AI reminds him of two very different tech stories: the internet, which reshaped the world, and the Segway, which never lived up to its hype. “AI could go either way,” he muses. “The danger is we’re raising billions on promises, but the real-life applications still feel limited.”

He points to obvious efficiencies - time saved, processes streamlined - but stresses that the leap from useful tool to life-changing technology has not yet been made.

Consulting, Talent, and the Business of AI

Big consultancies have been quick to seize the moment. Firms like McKinsey and Accenture are billing millions in AI advisory fees, but Andrews is sceptical about how long this model lasts. “So much of what they do - pattern spotting, knowledge banks, endless PowerPoints - is exactly the kind of work AI is good at,” he says. For today’s ambitious graduates, he’s blunt: “I wouldn’t want to be a young consultant right now.”

The real battleground, in his view, isn’t money or infrastructure, it’s people. Elite engineers, what Google dubs “10x talent,” are the currency of the AI wars. Tech giants are hoarding them, and smaller players like OpenAI have only stayed in the fight by striking big alliances with Microsoft and Google.

Google, Meta, and the Advertising Inevitable

Andrews believes Google is better positioned than most to make AI commercially viable. “They’re experts at turning technology into revenue,” he notes, while Meta’s foray into AI “friends” feels like a misstep. As for OpenAI, despite Sam Altman’s insistence that subscriptions and agent-based services are the way forward, Andrews is unconvinced. “Look at history, every company that said it didn’t need advertising eventually turned to advertising.”

Parallels with Streaming—and a Reality Check

The AI boom, he argues, mirrors the streaming wars of the 2010s. Netflix pioneered the model, but within years dozens of rivals were burning billions, only to consolidate when the economics proved unsustainable. “It’s the same with AI,” Andrews warns. “Too many players, too much spending, not enough money being made. At some point, investors will pull back.”

And subscriptions? Don’t count on endless growth there either. “Humans can only manage 11 or 12 subscriptions in their lives,” he says. “Something has to give for something new to come in.”

The Promise and the Peril

Despite his scepticism, Andrews isn’t cynical. He describes himself as “glass half full,” excited by the possibilities still to emerge - just as Uber and Deliveroo sprung from mobile. He’s impressed by creative breakthroughs, like Google’s VO3 video model, but insists that true creativity remains a human preserve. “AI can amplify creativity, but it can’t replace John Coltrane or Picasso.”

What excites him most is the potential for AI to solve real problems in unexpected ways. What worries him is the darker human side: people retreating into relationships with AI companions, like Joaquin Phoenix in Her. “Only in reality, it might not be so sweet, it could go very wrong,” he warns.

Fixing the Future

As for his own celebrated newsletter, Fix, Andrews insists it will never be ghostwritten by a chatbot. “Credibility matters. If I get something wrong, I get annoyed with myself. I want to know it’s accurate.” It’s a revealing stance from a man who has made a career of seeing through the noise.

In the end, his message is clear: AI is exciting, but the hype is outpacing the reality. We may well get our Ubers and Netflixes of the AI age - but for now, Simon Andrews is keeping both feet firmly on the ground.