When building gets easier, what should we build?

In innovation workshops I've run, teleportation is a popular answer when people are asked what superpower they'd like. I can see the appeal. But it leaves a question unanswered: if you could go anywhere in an instant, where would you go?

I find myself asking a version of that question as AI makes it easier to build. The distance between an idea and something I can try is getting shorter. That's exciting. It also makes it easier to get absorbed in making something work before I've thought enough about what it's for.

I keep coming back to strategy: who is this for, and what problem am I trying to help them solve? Is a digital product even the right response? A working prototype gives people something concrete to discuss, but its existence doesn't tell me whether it's needed.

Then there's the question of what better would look like. What would change in someone's day if this worked? Being clear about that gives me a way to judge the idea beyond whether I managed to build it. It also helps me decide which parts are worth pursuing.

I also need to think about the consequences. Who might struggle to use it? Who would take on extra work to keep it running? What assumptions am I making about the people involved? These questions help me look beyond the intended benefit and consider where my blind spots might be.

These are familiar questions from design work, and I expect to keep returning to them as the tools change. I'm glad I can build and try more things. I want to use some of the time that saves to understand the problem better, check the direction with the people affected, and decide what is worth taking further.