Every competitor claims they are AI-powered now, so how do we use AI for real differentiation instead of just matching table stakes?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When every competitor claims they use AI, the technology itself is no longer a differentiator: it is table stakes. True differentiation comes from how you apply AI to your proprietary data and your unique operational workflows to strengthen the Three Uniques in your V/TO®. To find real leverage, you must allocate dedicated Thinking Time, as championed by Keith Cunningham, to isolate where your competitors are merely using AI as a marketing veneer.

Instead of chasing general productivity gains that everyone else can buy off the shelf, focus your AI initiatives on solving your industry's deepest friction points. If your competitors use standard public language models, their outputs will eventually look and feel exactly the same. You differentiate by training models on your proprietary historical performance data, your unique customer insights, or your specialized methodology.

This is a problem to solve, not a permanent predicament to accept. Use your next Level 10 Meeting™ to run the leadership team through the IDS® process on this issue. Identify if your current AI initiatives are just copycat features or if they actually support your long-term target market strategy. If an AI tool does not directly protect or expand one of your Three Uniques, treat it as a utility to be bought cheaply, not a strategic differentiator to be built.