Every tech conference has a flashy AI demo.
None of them mention what happens when it breaks at 3 AM.
I build for production, not applause.
Flashy Demos vs. Production Reality
Flashy demo:
- "Our AI reads any document with 99% accuracy!"
- Live demo with hand-picked examples.
- Crowd applause.
Production reality:
- Works on 80% of real-world files.
- Fails silently on edge cases.
- No logs. No rollback. No support.
Boring automation:
- "Our tool extracts invoice data and flags uncertain results."
- Logs everything. Highlights low-confidence fields.
- Works reliably on the same 3 file types every day.
Which one gets used for 5 years?
Boring Tools Have Superpowers
1. Predictability
Boring tools do the same thing every time.
No surprises. This builds trust with stakeholders.
2. Debuggability
When boring tools break, they tell you why.
Flashy AI fails mysteriously. Boring automation logs the error and points you to the fix.
3. Maintainability
Boring tools use standard libraries and simple logic.
Anyone can fix them. Even future-you, who forgot how they work.
What "Boring" Means
Boring doesn't mean bad.
It means:
- Proven technology (not the newest AI model)
- Simple architecture (not microservices for a 10-file workflow)
- Clear error messages (not cryptic stack traces)
The "Will This Work in 3 Years?" Test
I ask myself:
- Will the dependencies still be maintained?
- Will the API still exist?
- Can I debug this if I forget how it works?
If the answer is "no," it's too flashy.
Conclusion
Build for production, not demos.
Boring, reliable automation wins because:
- It's predictable
- It's debuggable
- It's maintainable
Flashy gets applause. Boring gets used.
