The Layers of AI Experience
The article presents a framework for understanding AI interactions across multiple layers of user experience, from raw model behavior to designed interfaces and interactions. It explores how these layers shape perception and meaning-making when people engage with AI systems.
Background
Emily Campbell is a design researcher and writer who focuses on how people interact with AI systems. This piece argues that most discussions of "AI experience" conflate three distinct layers: the interface (what users see and click), the model's behavior (how the AI responds), and the system's infrastructure (the data, training, and deployment choices). Understanding these layers separately, she suggests, is critical for designing AI tools that people can actually trust and use well. The essay is part of a broader conversation in tech and design circles about moving beyond surface-level "AI features" toward deeper, more thoughtful integration of AI into products.