Even though chat-based AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are powerful, many users limit their usage to simple tasks. Their potential for complex thinking and creativity often remains untapped. Based on user interviews, we’ve identified five key psychological challenges people face when using these AI systems. Below, we explain each challenge along with user quotes to help clarify these pain points.

1. Communication Challenges

Users often struggle to communicate their needs effectively to AI systems. This process requires a certain level of skill in prompt engineering, which many users find complex and unintuitive.

User Quote:
「Interacting with AI feels like playing a guessing game! I was told I need to learn complex prompts to make it understand me.」

2. Organizing Thoughts Challenges

Many users find it difficult to organize their thoughts when engaging with AI. While they are often encouraged to clarify their requirements, most people lack systematic thinking skills, making it hard to identify exactly what they want. This cognitive challenge becomes a major pain point, regardless of how capable the AI is.

User Quote:
「My thoughts are usually scattered. I want AI to help me, but sometimes I don’t even understand my own ideas clearly. Organizing my thoughts has always been a challenge.」

3. Challenges in Fine-Tuning AI Outputs

Refining AI-generated content requires patience and a deeper understanding of AI’s contextual processes. Users often find this back-and-forth adjustment process cumbersome and time-consuming.

User Quote:
「Fine-tuning AI is really tough! Back-and-forth contextual conversations take time, and sometimes, just as it understands one idea, it forgets another. It’s very hard to adjust the content it creates.」

4. Expressing Needs Clearly Challenges

Clearly expressing one’s needs is another fundamental yet challenging task. For those who are naturally articulate, it still consumes time. For others, difficulty in expressing ideas can cause frustration, fatigue, and even emotional stress.

User Quote:
「Even when I have clear ideas, I still don’t know how to express them in clear language. I’ve always had trouble with this.」

5. Lack of Personalization

AI-generated content often feels generic or templated, with noticeable “AI traces.” Since current AI models cannot learn directly from individual users, their outputs lack the personal touch that users value.

User Quote:
「The current AI feels like a fixed template; the content it generates is clearly marked with ‘AI’ traces. I can’t add my personal touch to it.」

These challenges highlight why many users feel frustrated when interacting with chat-based AI tools. Addressing these issues—simplifying communication, improving personalization, and reducing mental effort—will be key to unlocking the full potential of AI systems for complex tasks and creativity. If you're interested in Minduck's journey and our team's footsteps, check out our original launch on Product Hunt to see how we started and where we’re headed.