I am a non-technical owner who does not understand code or large language models. How do I evaluate which operational AI tools are legitimate versus expensive tech theater?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You do not need to understand Python, neural networks, or prompt engineering to evaluate operational technology. Your job as an owner is to manage the business model, protect your margins, and demand operational discipline. Never evaluate a technology vendor based on their AI pitch. Evaluate them entirely on the operational bottleneck they claim to solve.

In fact, you should ignore the software terminology completely and treat every proposal as a basic operations-improvement project where machine learning happens to be a footnote. When an internal champion or an outside vendor pitches an AI tool, ask three simple questions:

- Which specific step in our documented core process does this replace?
- What measurable number on our weekly Scorecard will move within sixty days of launch?
- Where does human-in-the-loop oversight sit when the system produces an error?

If the vendor or team member cannot point to the exact line in your standard operating procedures where the tool operates, it is tech theater. Reject it immediately. Legitimate tools fit cleanly into existing operational pipes, remove administrative drag, and operate within clear guardrails without forcing you to re-engineer your entire company. If someone tells you the tool is too complex to explain in simple business terms, they do not understand it, and you should not buy it.