Why AI tools often disappoint
AI is everywhere right now. You’ve probably seen the demos - stunning videos generated in seconds, perfect Instagram captions, entire blogs written with a click.
But if you’ve ever tried to use one of these tools and ended up frustrated or underwhelmed, you’re not alone. And more importantly - it’s not your fault.
Despite the hype, most AI tools still require you to have some level of expertise in the thing you’re trying to automate. Unless you’re already a designer, video editor, writer, or marketer… many of these tools will leave you stuck halfway, wondering what you’re doing wrong.
You need to know how to edit before AI can ‘edit for you’
Let’s take video as an example. Tools like Runway are marketed as drag-and-drop video magic. And in some ways, they are - but only if you already understand editing workflows, file types, visual pacing, and how to prompt an AI for specific cuts or styles. If you don’t? You’ll probably get something rough that still needs hours of cleanup.
Same goes for Midjourney. Yes, it creates jaw-dropping images. But only if you’ve mastered the dark art of prompt engineering and know how to navigate Discord (and let’s be honest - most business owners don’t want to spend their Sunday evening reading prompt syntax documentation).
Even ChatGPT, as powerful as it is, still needs steering. If you don’t know how to ask the right questions - or you expect it to do all the work for you - the results will be bland, inaccurate, or just plain wrong.
Canva and Squarespace got it right — but we haven’t had our “AI Canva” moment yet
There are tools that genuinely work out of the box for non-experts - and ironically, they’re not even “AI-first.” Canva and Squarespace changed the game by giving everyday users the power to create beautiful designs and websites without needing to know a pixel from a PNG.
Why did they work so well? Because they didn’t try to replace the human. They simplified the task.
Templates over blank pages.
Drag-and-drop instead of dropdown menus.
Real-time previews, tooltips, and minimal jargon.
They didn’t promise to “do it all for you” - they just made it easier for you to do what you wanted to do.
Right now, very few AI tools are built with that same mindset. Most still assume you know what “model parameters” or “negative prompts” are. And if you don’t? You’re left frustrated, confused, and ready to give up.
So if AI feels hard — that’s normal
If you’ve ever opened a fancy new AI tool, fiddled around for 15 minutes, and quietly closed the tab thinking “maybe I’m just not techy enough for this” - please know: you are not the problem.
The tools are. Or more specifically, the gap between how they’re marketed and how they actually work is.
AI isn’t useless - far from it. But most tools today still need you to bring the strategy, the taste, the critical thinking. If you’re expecting it to do your job for you, you’ll probably be disappointed. If you treat it like a turbocharged intern who still needs direction? That’s when the magic happens.
You’re not behind
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the AI noise, you’re not behind - you’re just seeing through the hype. Most of these tools weren’t built with you in mind. But that’s starting to change.
You don’t need to master every new platform or tool that launches. You just need to find the ones that respect your time, work with your brain, and actually make your life easier.
And those do exist - even if they’re not the ones with the loudest marketing.