The AI Era: Builders, Guardians, and Patchers

Yesterday I saw a metaphor that hit hard: the current AI industry is like a game of三国杀 in progress.

Some are 「building gods」 — announcing breakthrough after breakthrough,塑造 an all-powerful AI mythology. Some are 「keeping watch」 — quietly polishing their tech, no big words, just product improvements. And some are 「patching holes」 — finding overlooked but actually important use cases in the gaps between giants.

Who’s building gods?

The answer is obvious. When OpenAI announced GPT-6, the headline read 「Redefining what’s possible with AGI.」 When Anthropic dropped Claude 4, they called it 「the most secure model yet.」 The pattern: everything is 「most」 and 「first.」

The upside of god-building is real: media coverage, investor confidence, talent attraction. The downside? When expectations fail to materialize, the fall is brutal. After GPT-5’s Demo-vs-reality gap went viral, OpenAI’s credibility took a hit.

Who’s keeping watch?

Google counts. Gemini’s releases don’t get OpenAI-level fanfare, but the tech iteration speed is actually fast. Some domestic companies too — DeepSeek ships quietly to open-source communities while matching closed-source performance.

Watch-keepers rarely trend. But their products have cult status among developers. Slow-burn competitive strategy.

Who’s patching holes?

This is the most interesting group. Small companies, underfunded teams, founders without big-co backgrounds. They build what giants won’t touch — vertical AI apps, edge case solutions, niche user group customization.

Patchers don’t chase 「redefining.」 They chase 「filling the gap.」 That gap might be a big company’s product weakness, or a blank market no one noticed.

My take:

God-builders create narratives. Watch-keepers push tech forward. Patchers drive actual adoption. All three roles are necessary.

But right now? Too many people are building gods. Not enough are keeping watch or patching holes. Resources and attention flow to spectacle, and the bubble keeps growing.

Which role do you identify with in this ecosystem?