Not All AI Is Created Equal
The AI market is flooded with options. SaaS tools, custom builds, consultants, and agencies all promise transformation. Here's how to cut through the noise.
Questions to Ask
- Does this solve a real problem, or is it a solution looking for one?
- Can it be trained on MY business data, or is it generic?
- What happens when the AI gets something wrong?
- Who owns the data and the model?
- What does ongoing maintenance look like?
Build vs. Buy
Off-the-shelf AI tools work well for generic tasks (writing, image generation, basic chat). For anything specific to your business — custom chatbots, integrations, ops tools — you'll get better results with a custom build.
Red Flags
Watch out for: vague promises without specific outcomes, no mention of data privacy, inability to show case studies, and pricing that seems too good to be true. Good AI is an investment, not a commodity.