Your Best Partner in the Agentic Era Is One You Can't Measure

In the era of AI-driven decision-making, the concept of partnership takes on new meaning, as artificial intelligence often chooses the tools and platforms that businesses use, without human intervention. Measuring the impact of these partnerships becomes increasingly difficult, as the AI partner is difficult to track and quantify.

Traditionally, partnering success was measured through contract signings, call responses, and account growth, but these methods become unreliable when an AI makes the choices. As AI models start deciding on databases, authentication systems, and hosting solutions before humans even get involved, the field is racing to become the AI's preferred partner.

While companies like Google Cloud are investing heavily in this area, they overlook a crucial aspect: the inability to measure the AI partner properly. This leaves businesses chasing a partner they cannot effectively manage or assess. To adapt, companies must focus on two main objectives: measuring the model's performance and assessing the humans it still sends.

By tracking the model's selection frequency and monitoring the value of users it brings, businesses can gain a clearer understanding of its impact. However, simply measuring the AI's performance is not enough; it is crucial to assess the long-term value of the users it generates. By holding a comparable group back and measuring the difference, businesses can better understand whether the AI partner truly contributes to their success.

In conclusion, while companies are pouring money into AI partners, the ones who truly succeed will be those who can effectively measure and manage these relationships, rather than simply focusing on superficial metrics.