Unsolicited modals break flow and erode trust. Reserve them for irreversible decisions.
Prefer inline banners or tooltips. Give modals one primary action and an obvious dismiss.
An AI coding copilot fires a suggestion modal, a 'tip', and an upsell the moment you start typing. It breaks flow so often that developers reflexively dismiss everything — including the suggestions that would have helped.
Users ignore alerts because an automated system produces too many low-quality warnings.
An AI meeting assistant pops suggestions and summaries mid-conversation, breaking everyone's focus.