I am a non-technical business owner and software vendors are pitching me custom AI solutions that cost tens of thousands of dollars. How do I evaluate these proposals to ensure we are buying a practical operational improvement rather than expensive custom development?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

As a non-technical owner, you should never pay for expensive custom software development when a low-code or off-the-shelf alternative exists. Most business operations do not require a proprietary, custom-built AI model. They require a simple pipeline that connects your existing tools to standard AI engines.

When evaluating a vendor proposal, ignore the technical jargon about proprietary algorithms and custom training. Instead, apply a simple rule: ask for a working prototype using standard APIs before committing to a major investment.

A reputable partner should be able to build a basic proof of concept in a few days using tools like Make, Zapier, or the OpenAI Assistants API. If they insist on a six-month development roadmap and a massive upfront fee just to show you a working demo, walk away. They are selling you tech theater.

Focus your evaluation entirely on the business outcome. Ask the vendor how the tool will directly impact the measurables on your weekly scorecard. If they cannot explain how their software will reduce transaction times, lower error rates, or increase throughput without a complex IT roadmap, it is a project you should avoid. Keep your operations simple and tool-agnostic.