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Questions to Ask Before You Buy Any AI Tool

Most AI tools are easy to buy. These questions are how you find out whether you should. If you can't answer them yet, you're not ready to buy yet.

01 Start with the problem

• What business problem are we solving, in one sentence?If we can't write that sentence, we're not ready to buy.
• How will we know it worked?Pick the number that actually matters. Throughput, not vanity metrics.

• Which decisions does the tool make, and which require a human?"Human in the loop" means a named person accountable for a defined decision, not a slogan.
• When the model is wrong, who answers for it, and how would we even know?If there's no way to catch the error, there's no governance.
• How do we keep a human in the loop at scale without slowing back to pre-AI speed?If the vendor has no answer for the HOW, keep looking.

• What is this vendor incented to make clear, and what to leave fuzzy?Not villains. Vendors. Assume they optimize for the sale, not your governance.
• Stripped of the buzzwords, what does this do that we can't already do?If the answer needs jargon to sound impressive, be skeptical.
• What's the real cost after integration, training, and overlapping tools?The license price is rarely the price.

• Who owns this internally after the vendor walks away?Your team knows your business better than any model. Name the owner.
• How will our people first hear about this, and when?Bring them in before you buy, not after. Adoption dies when a tool is imposed.
• Will the team see this as help, or as a threat to their jobs?Perception drives adoption. Name what changes, what doesn't, and who says so.
• Is AI even the right tool here, or would a simpler fix do?Sometimes the honest answer is no. That answer is still a win.

Bring these questions to a Leadership AI Briefing. Practical guidance over hype, governance over guesswork.

Catalyst Leadership Solutions · catalystls.ai · Practical AI, Governed with Integrity