Our proprietary delivery method used to be our primary differentiator, but now open-source AI models allow clients or competitors to achieve the same results instantly. How do we use our V/TO® to redefine our 3 Uniques when our core delivery mechanism is no longer unique?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When technology commoditizes your delivery method, you must look at your business through a different strategic lens. If anyone can use a public AI model to get the same output you used to charge premium fees for, your output is no longer a differentiator. It is now table stakes.

To redefine your 3 Uniques on your V/TO®, you must shift your focus from the output itself to how you wrap that output in human expertise and risk mitigation. Think of your business as what Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee call an indispensable complement to technology. The cheaper and more abundant AI-generated outputs become, the more valuable the human filter becomes to navigate the noise.

Analyze your customer relationship. Your new 3 Uniques should focus on elements that AI cannot easily replicate. This includes deep industry expertise, accountability for final results, and complex integration into the client's broader strategy. For example, your uniques might combine automated speed, custom proprietary datasets, and a guaranteed human advisor who signs off on the quality.

Bring this challenge to your next leadership team meeting. Run an IDS® session to strip away old assumptions about what made you special. Once you identify your new 3 Uniques, update your V/TO® and align your sales message around them. This protects your margins and ensures strategic buyers see a highly defensible business model during your exit planning.