3 observations and takeaways about AI coming off the back of 3 SaaS conferences in 45 days.
Last one was last week.
@SaaStock - great one by
@alextheuma and team.
1 - AI is no longer marketable. Humans have adapted their bullsh*t radars to filter out AI messaging. The next phase of AI is fact-checking and verification at scale. Expect to see more benefits like “verified AI” or “authenticated AI” - AI alone is not enough of a value driver and it’s certainly not a differentiator in SaaS product marketing anymore. Lean into what pain points you solve best for your customers. Paint a compelling picture of the bright future when a billion people are impacted by your work (directly or indirectly). Tell that story.
2 -
@poyark shared on stage that SaaS companies that build with AI horizontally - that serve general use cases - struggle with monetization. But SaaS companies that build specifically for one vertical have 17% faster growth rates and vertical AI SaaS even more - 22% faster. In a crowded market, aim at narrow use cases first, then expand.
3 - Reactive vs. foundational AI building. I've been to 3 SaaS conferences in the last 45 days. I’ve noticed a difference between companies that do reactive AI building and foundational AI building. Reactive AI building is thinking about how to use AI to make what you were already doing faster. The goal is more efficiency and speed. But more of the same just creates overload, spam, volume, and potentially abuse. The truly innovative companies are the ones who are building with AI at a foundational level. They rethink established industries with entirely new approaches that set the norms for 5-10 years from now. The result isn’t achieving the same success metrics faster or better, but transforming how an entire system works. Don’t make a better mousetrap or make a horse run faster. Build a car and change a paradigm.
PS. My phone's front camera has a crack through it (getting a new one) apologies for the weird glare effect 📸