Bolting AI into existing products

Bill Doerrfeld | May 12, 2026

My latest for InfoWorld looks at the downsides of throwing AI everywhere all willy-nilly

Reports say consumers are souring on AI everywhere, all the time. So, at the risk of losing trust, or even potential business, is adding AI to an existing product really worth it?


Excited to share a feature for InfoWorld today that looks at what's going on with AI feature creep.


The experts share the downsides of hastily bolting AI into existing products, as well as some positive examples of how to do it well in a way that drives real value.


Ways to avoid the downsides? Think from the user's perspective. Don't follow hype alone. Test early with smaller rollouts. Keep AI assistive rather than disruptive to existing workflows. And rely on product fundamentals, like ROI and usage metrics.


But most importantly: solve real problems!

Read: How to add AI to an existing product (without annoying users)

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