AI-native has become a synonym for we added a chat box.

“AI-native” has become a synonym for “we added a chat box.” The real shift is when the model changes what the product is for, not just how you talk to it.

A chat interface bolted onto an existing workflow is a UI decision. A product that only makes sense because inference is now cheap and fast is an architecture decision. Most teams are making the first one and calling it the second.

The tell is whether removing the AI would leave the product roughly intact. If it would, it wasn't native to begin with.