AI is everywhere - at least on the surface. If you open most SaaS tools today, you’ll likely see AI badges, assistants, or chatbots claiming to revolutionise productivity. But more often than not, these features offer little more than novelty. They feel like what they are…bolt-ons, retrofits, or rushed responses to industry pressure. And from our point of view at New Icon, that’s not innovation - that’s marketing.
AI is everywhere - at least on the surface. If you open most SaaS tools today, you’ll likely see AI badges, assistants, or chatbots claiming to revolutionise productivity. But more often than not, these features offer little more than novelty. They feel like what they are…bolt-ons, retrofits, or rushed responses to industry pressure. And from our point of view at New Icon, that’s not innovation - that’s marketing.
We’ve seen major players like Google and Microsoft integrate tools like Gemini and Copilot into their platforms. On paper, it’s exciting… AI at your fingertips, embedded into apps you already use. But dig a little deeper and the value is often shallow.
These tools struggle to go beyond surface-level productivity boosts. They’re useful in the sense that they can summarise emails, generate draft content, and offer templated suggestions, yes - but are they transformative? Not really. And certainly not tailored.
This highlights a growing divide in the market: off-the-shelf AI vs. embedded, bespoke AI. One is broad and scalable, and the other is precise and strategically valuable.
Here’s the thing, AI is only as valuable as its implementation. Big tech vendors are constrained by the size and legacy of their platforms. They can’t afford to massively rethink how people work, so instead, they layer AI on top of existing workflows and hope it sticks.
But real transformation happens when AI is designed from the ground up to fit your business, not the other way around.
As our Chief Strategy Officer, Mark Probert put it: “Big tech is giving people a narrow view of what AI can really do. Shallow innovation that scratches the surface, not the kind of embedded systems that solve meaningful problems.”
At New Icon, we design AI-first systems that align with your processes, your data, and your goals. Our approach is simple: start with the problem, not the tech. Then build a solution that works seamlessly in the background, not just as a feature, but as a foundation.
That could mean:
These aren’t one-size-fits-all solutions. They’re tailored, IP-building systems designed to make a tangible difference from day one.
Too often, AI is treated as a bolt-on solution. But that mindset misses its true potential: transforming workflows.
To unlock real value, companies need to apply design thinking - something we do exceptionally well - to reimagine how AI fits into their day-to-day operations. That means taking a user-centric approach. Without redesigning workflows from this perspective, bolting on AI can create more friction than progress.
Yes, quick wins from AI add-ons are appealing (and we encourage experimentation to unearth value), but what’s your long-term plan for AI?How will you ensure it’s accessible and usable across teams and departments? And what about feedback loops to drive continuous improvement?
The key takeaway is simple: real transformation starts with understanding how work actually gets done, then using AI to enhance it - thoughtfully and iteratively.
Crawford recently made a great point: the AI gold rush is creating a wave of “me-too” tools - everyone’s trying to bolt AI onto existing products without asking whether it truly helps the user.
That’s where businesses like ours have a clear opportunity. We don’t just build software. We build fit-for-purpose systems with intelligence at the core. Systems that empower, streamline, and unlock new value, and not just tick the “AI” box on a roadmap.
If your business is serious about digital transformation, stop settling for shallow features and subscription models. Start building IP. Build smarter workflows. Build systems that are truly yours.
Here’s a simple takeaway Mark shared on stage at WEAF recently. He was asked: “What’s one improvement we can apply to our organisations when we get back to the office tomorrow?”
His answer: “Take a bottom-up approach and understand what challenges your teams face. Look at what they’re already using GPT or AI Agents for. Then automate the tasks they do most frequently - or the ones that would most improve speed and accuracy. Embed those winning ideas into your workflow, but take a test-and-learn approach. Stay agile and deliver incremental change.”
Because in the age of AI, the real value doesn’t come from buying tools. It comes from building the right solutions, and making them work for your people.
Subscribe to get our best content. No spam, ever. Unsubscribe at any time.
Send us a message for more information about how we can help you