AI Produces Average Results. Expertise Creates Exceptional Outcomes.
Artificial Intelligence has rapidly become one of the most powerful tools available to businesses today. From financial analysis and strategic planning to market research and presentation development, AI can accelerate work, often saving 30% or more of the initial effort. However, as organizations increasingly integrate AI into their decision-making processes, a critical reality is emerging: AI is exceptionally good at producing average results.
At Turning Point, we have found that AI can accelerate analyses, draft business plans, presentations, and recommendations in a fraction of the time required by traditional methods. The challenge is that these outputs often reflect the average of what is already known. AI is designed to identify patterns from existing information and generate statistically likely responses. By its very nature, it tends toward conventional wisdom rather than skillful insight.
This creates significant implications for both businesses and professional service firms. In turnaround situations, strategic planning exercises, and operational improvement initiatives, AI commonly recommends actions such as reducing costs, improving customer retention, optimizing pricing, or enhancing cash flow management. While these recommendations may be accurate, they are often generic and rarely address the particular circumstances driving a company's challenges.
Our craft is to deliver excellent results and outcomes, not average ones. Internally, we frequently discuss the importance of avoiding "AI slop"—work that appears polished and professional but lacks the depth, rigor, and expertise required to create meaningful value. To address this challenge, we have incorporated quality control gates and Turning Point Standards into our workflows. Every analysis, recommendation, and deliverable is subjected to professional review to ensure it reflects the expertise, judgment, and quality our clients have come to expect over the past 17 years.
This issue extends beyond turnaround consulting. Professional service firms across multiple industries are grappling with how to responsibly integrate AI. Recent public scrutiny has focused on consulting and law firms that charge premium rates, sometimes exceeding $2,000 per hour, while delivering work products that rely heavily on AI-generated content. The concern shouldn’t be whether AI is being used, but whether clients are receiving the expert judgment and customized solutions they need and are paying for.
The upside of AI is undeniable. It can accelerate research, identify patterns, summarize complex information, and improve efficiency. The downside is that it can create the illusion of expertise where expertise is still required.
The organizations that will succeed will be those that combine AI's speed with human experience, critical thinking, and professional judgment. Competitive advantage will increasingly come not from access to artificial intelligence, but from the expertise used to challenge, refine, and improve its output.
AI can help businesses move faster. Expertise is what ensures they stay on course.
