Issue 05 companion · Most AI Wins Are Theatre Until Proven Otherwise
The Theatre Checklist
A rival's announcement, a vendor's case study, your own internal win - run it through the same three questions before it moves your hand. Most claims stop at the first one.
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The Signal
The Theatre Checklist
Issue 05 companion · Most AI Wins Are Theatre Until Proven Otherwise
The Theatre Checklist
A rival's announcement, a vendor's case study, your own internal win - run it through the same three questions before it moves your hand. Most claims stop at the first one.
The only AI win worth reacting to is the one that changed life for a customer.
Nothing answered yet
1What number actually moved?
A launched feature is activity. A cycle time cut by a third is an outcome.
2Who is personally accountable for that number?
A named owner, or an anonymous press line?
3Would they show you the before and the after?
Or only the after, with a logo on it?
Signs of theatre
No metric attached
A partnership with no product behind it
A demo that never reaches a paying customer
A headline figure that changes each time it is quoted
Signs it is real
A price that actually moves
A delivery cycle measurably shorter
A capability the customer feels unprompted
A before and an after, on the table
The claim I am testing / my verdict
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