When AI ‘creates’ the first need!

Today I opened ChatGPT’s new chat. My eyes settled on “Surprise Me” button which has been there for a few days now. With a curious mind , I clicked it as I wasn’t looking for anything. It showed me options ..

– “Surprise me with a story about yourself.”
– “Surprise me with my horoscope.”
– “Surprise me with my seasonal color analysis.”

I picked one .. not because I needed it .. but because it was “there”.
And only later did I realise the need wasn’t mine to begin with. I then opened Groq, Microsoft Co-pilot, Gemini apps and looked at their cold start of new conversation. Each one of them is prompting the user in some shape and form. So, I thought I should write about it.

Well , we’ve seen versions of this before.

– Google once introduced “I’m Feeling Lucky. .. it skipped the results page and took you straight to an answer — way before AI mode came to life .. it reduced choices but delivered faster. But it still was depended on your query.

– Instagram went a step further. When you open it , it doesn’t ask what you want. It shows you a feed based on what it thinks you’ll like. Discovery became “passive” and intent became “inferred”.

Today AI is taking it one step further. It doesn’t just infer intent. It suggests it upfront.

– “Create an image.”
– “Help me write.”
– “Summarise text.”
.. and something subtle happened here.

I wasn’t planning to do any of this. But now I tried. The flow has quietly changed.

Earlier:
User –> Need –> Tool –> Outcome
Now:
Tool –> Suggestion –> Perceived Need –> Action

Don’t thing this is accidental .. it’s by design.

The first screen defines the possibility space and what we see first often becomes what we want first. On one hand, this is powerful.

– it reduces friction.
– it helps users get started.
– it unlocks discovery.

On the other hand, it raises a deeper question.

If AI begins to shape intent .. who is really making the first decision?

We often debate what AI can do. But perhaps the more important question is:

What is AI nudging us to do?

Because over time, suggestions don’t just guide actions.

– they shape behaviour.
– they influence creativity.
– they define patterns of thinking.

The most powerful part of AI may not be its answers. It may be the needs it quietly creates.

And that is where design becomes responsibility.

Until next time… happy thinking.

Author – Sumit Rajwade, Co-founder: mPrompto