“If your user wins, you win — that's it. You can add some fancy AI features to the app and you're going to get a lot of early adopters excited about AI right now. But to have lasting value you need to figure out how to make your users win. That's the hardest part.”

If your user wins, you win — AI features should deliver real user value, not just move metrics

Schlenker draws a sharp distinction between AI features that move engagement metrics and AI that actually improves user outcomes. The test: does the AI feature help the user accomplish what they came to the app for — reclaiming focus, building habits, reducing screen overuse? Features that impress in demos but don't serve the core use case will capture early adopters and then churn them. Schlenker's frame for AI is identical to his frame for all product work: ask whether the user is winning after using this feature.