Most asked
Do we actually need AI for this, or would something simpler work?
Short answer
Ask that question about every project, and be willing to accept the answer. Sometimes a straightforward database application, a process change, or better reporting solves the problem faster, cheaper, and with less maintenance than an AI build.
Simplify first. Non-AI solutions are often the better answer, and any advisor who cannot say that out loud is selling rather than advising.
We had a client convinced they needed AI for proposal responses. The pain was real and measurable: matching prior answers to incoming questions took days, and a complicated proposal took two weeks or more. Their requirements included low cost, manageable maintenance with limited internal support, and strict confidentiality.
The best solution turned out to be a database application doing structured data matching, with AI used narrowly to find semantic relationships between questions and answers rather than a keyword match. Less impressive to describe. Dramatically better on every requirement they actually had.
So the question worth asking yourself is whether you are willing to accept the simple solution, or whether you want someone who will complicate it so you can say you have an AI application.
Before you commit, run three tests. Would a process change alone fix most of this? Is the underlying task structured and repeatable enough that rules would handle it? Is the data messy and variable enough that it genuinely requires interpretation? Only the last case clearly calls for AI.