Part of the core problem of our whole economic setup is the widening gap between "where money comes from" and "what do things do?". The VC hype machine makes this gap so large that it can disrupt attempts to design a specific functional requirement. It's way, way, waaaayyy more important (in the near term, anyway) to get the attention of Mr. Moneybags versus making a self-assembling AI wiring diagram. Especially when these systems are so resource hungry - that's a lot of money up front.
We see a flavor of this in the defense industry, where the users of the Product have a . . a whole ecosystem of fusspots[0] . . between them and the money. Say, for example, you get a gigantic requirements document. It might say "You will make the Product System but you must do the work according to Process X, Process Y, Process Z, and any related Process [X.1.b through X.6.z, Z.1 through Z.921, etc]". Then, when you show you have these Processes/Certificates, you get a pile of money. Thing is, it could be decades - or never - before the Product ever sees anything like a user. Every time someone refreshes the Giant Requirements Document, more money gets paid. The actual transaction taking place is Paperwork for Money - so therefore, the red tape is what's valued. Sometimes - almost by accident - a product comes out from this, but very often it doesn't[1], and the whole machine just keeps cranking on.
[0] I am being really nice here, but yeah, without trying to be nice . . there's a TON of corruption, and despite what the NAFO fanboys say, a LOT of procurement officers have their corner offices already picked out at LockBoNorthRay. It's an absolutely widespread practice - every company I've ever been with has BRAGGED about hiring on Procurement Officer X or Y from the latest bagged contract.
[1] Sometimes a Product comes out completely FUBARed[a] and then the techs and engineers have to figure out a way to make it fight. It would all be a hilarious TV show, but in real life all I can see are the dead airmen and sailors that'll be stuck inside when push comes to shove. Well, "shoving" someone other than five Arab teenagers playing with fireworks in an RV, you can fight those guys with a Garfield body pillow and some body odor..
[1.a] But within that ever-shifting requirements spec!
We see a flavor of this in the defense industry, where the users of the Product have a . . a whole ecosystem of fusspots[0] . . between them and the money. Say, for example, you get a gigantic requirements document. It might say "You will make the Product System but you must do the work according to Process X, Process Y, Process Z, and any related Process [X.1.b through X.6.z, Z.1 through Z.921, etc]". Then, when you show you have these Processes/Certificates, you get a pile of money. Thing is, it could be decades - or never - before the Product ever sees anything like a user. Every time someone refreshes the Giant Requirements Document, more money gets paid. The actual transaction taking place is Paperwork for Money - so therefore, the red tape is what's valued. Sometimes - almost by accident - a product comes out from this, but very often it doesn't[1], and the whole machine just keeps cranking on.
[0] I am being really nice here, but yeah, without trying to be nice . . there's a TON of corruption, and despite what the NAFO fanboys say, a LOT of procurement officers have their corner offices already picked out at LockBoNorthRay. It's an absolutely widespread practice - every company I've ever been with has BRAGGED about hiring on Procurement Officer X or Y from the latest bagged contract.
[1] Sometimes a Product comes out completely FUBARed[a] and then the techs and engineers have to figure out a way to make it fight. It would all be a hilarious TV show, but in real life all I can see are the dead airmen and sailors that'll be stuck inside when push comes to shove. Well, "shoving" someone other than five Arab teenagers playing with fireworks in an RV, you can fight those guys with a Garfield body pillow and some body odor..
[1.a] But within that ever-shifting requirements spec!