AI Field Notes – Issue No. 8

by Len Ward | Commexis

1. Big Picture Thought

“The AI noise is deafening. You need a beacon.”

The amount of AI chatter out there right now is borderline absurd—new tools, Twitter threads, miracle prompts, overnight “AI strategists.” It’s easy to get lost. That’s why your first move isn’t to chase tools—it’s to build your AI roadmap.

Your roadmap is your beacon. It defines how AI will weave into your workflows, margins, and delivery. Tools will come and go. Buzzwords will change. But if your business doesn’t have a strategic direction for AI, you’re just playing tech whack-a-mole.

2. In My Notes

• AI noise level = dot-com bubble energy + TikTok attention span.
• I don’t need another tool—I need a system.
• Every client asking about “ChatGPT for lead gen” doesn’t realize the funnel is shifting.
• Most service businesses are still billing for hours AI already automated. That model is cracked.
• If you’re not designing for outcomes, you’re billing a ghost.

3. AI + Marketing Insight of the Week

“Search marketing is heading for a cliff. Lead gen as we know it is on borrowed time.”

We’re at a major inflection point for lead generation.
People aren’t just Googling anymore—they’re asking ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini. Meanwhile, Google’s AI overviews are squeezing organic real estate and paid ad inventory.

Smart marketers are optimizing for LLMs. But here’s the problem: most are still thinking “search and retrieve,” when the new model is “solve my problem.” That’s a single-answer world. And if your business isn’t that answer? You don’t show up at all.

Lead gen won’t die. But it will look wildly different—and that change is coming faster than anyone’s budgeting for.

4. In the Lab

CustomGPT: Real-Time Competitive Visibility—Online and Offline

We’re developing a CustomGPT to serve as a competitive intelligence layer. It’s already showing promise in identifying offline buying patterns, like OOH ad placements and sponsorship timing. Think: billboards, transit media, radio—tracked via indirect signal monitoring and media footprint recognition.

What surprised us? The model also began identifying online pattern shifts in seconds—from ad copy changes to budget reallocations across platforms like Meta, LinkedIn, and programmatic display.

If this holds up through verification, we’re looking at a serious advantage:

A 360º competitor radar system—an AI that watches the market while you sleep.

This isn’t a tool. It’s a strategic edge in live testing.

5. Strategic Shift Watch

Billing for Outcomes > Billing by the Hour

As AI compresses and automates more work, the traditional model of billing by the hour is breaking down. You can’t charge $150/hour for something GPT-5 does in 12 seconds.

The smart shift? Bill for the outcome.

• Sell the result, not the labor.
• Productize your solution, not your time.
• Use AI to increase margin—but charge based on the value delivered.

This applies across industries—from legal and accounting to consulting and creative services. If your business model relies on hourly billing, it’s time to rethink and adapt to an outcome-based approach.

Commexis POV

“Service businesses that bill by the hour are already losing to AI.”

Every AI advance makes it harder to justify hours. But no client questions cost if the outcome delivers. At Commexis, we don’t just plug in tools—we redesign systems. And we price based on transformation, not tasks.

7. Quick Hits

• In R&D: CustomGPT for real-time competitor monitoring
• Big Picture: OpenAI teaming up with Jony Ive to build an AI-native device. The co-pilot era is going hardware. (The Verge)
• Quote of the Week: “AI won’t take your job. But it will take your justification.” — Len Ward

Want help building your AI roadmap before you get swept up in the toolstorm?
Let’s talk.