How not to launch just another AI product

Fast Company

14-07-2025

Generative AI (GenAI) has completely transformed content creation in just a few short years. From SMBs to the enterprise and content creators, everyone has adopted some form of AI technology.
But not everyone will succeed with it. 2025 will be the year when AI technology needs to deliver true value and authenticity.
As the founder of a video hosting company, I have been in the tech space for nearly 20 years. The speed at which AI is evolving is like nothing I have ever seen—and I consider myself an early adopter of tech.
When we launch a new product at Wistia, we're always doing it to solve our customers' problems and make their jobs easier. The companies that come out ahead this year and separate themselves from the crowded AI pack are the ones that will adopt a strategic shift to technology that delivers value.
Here's how to launch a product that brings true value, and isn't just another tech advancement.
SKEPTICISM IS HIGH, TRUST IS LOW
Before launching and inevitably marketing a new product, you need to understand the current climate: Consumers are trusting brands less and less. Individuals and 'influencers' have become more trustworthy than brands. Data shows that personal LinkedIn profiles outperform company pages with 5x more engagement.
Why is this? There's a literal face to an individual when they post versus a brand, instantly leading to more of a connection for someone with whom to engage. And pair that with a video versus just text, and you have an even stronger chance of popping up in people's algorithms and connecting with your audience.
And even still, AI has made it harder to tell what is real and what was generated by a machine. You have to earn customers' trust before you sell to them. Even the most exciting technology or AI product won't get you far if you don't have a customer's trust.
Speed is always a factor—both with go-to-market strategy for a new product, as well as how tech internally helps free up employees' time. And if you're not using any AI tools, you're already behind and lacking in efficiency.
In fact, speed is perhaps one of the biggest benefits of AI. If you're launching a new product, and it can save employees or customers time, that is instantly a win. For example, imagine writing a prompt for a video script, and a GenAI tool delivers you a solid first draft in a matter of seconds. Or you use an AI tool to edit a video with the most important sound bites and scrap the rest.
Such GenAI tools are incredible time-savers in terms of resources and final deliverables. The value these tools provide is right there for the taking.
Your AI product should also enable your team and customers to do something they couldn't do before.
Imagine creating a video and then using AI to dub it in myriad different languages, all while it perfectly matches up with people's mouths. In the global economy, being able to quickly tailor your message to meet your audience right where they are removes massive barriers.
AI that gives users a skill they didn't already have, or that saves them a huge amount of time, is arguably the main reason for embracing AI technology. As AI evolves every day, you can't lose sight of the end goal: bringing value.