186 - Why Powerful AI & Analytics Products Feel Useless to Buyers

About this episode

Brian T. O’Neill discusses the challenges of translating data and AI capabilities into clear value for buyers and users in B2B products.

I’m back! After about 7 years (or more) of bi-weekly publishing, I gave myself a break (to have the flu, in part), but now it’s back to business! In 2026, I’ll be focusing the podcast more on the commercial side of data products. This means more founders, CEOs, and product leader guests at small and mid-sized B2B software companies who are building technically impressive B2B analytics and AI products. With all the focus on AI, I want to focus on things that don’t change: what do value and outcomes look like to buyers and users, and how do we recreate it with analytics and AI? What learnings and changes have leaders had to make on the product and UI/UX side to get buyers to buy and users to use? So, that brings us to today’s episode. Today, I’ll explain why I think model quality, analytics data, and raw AI capability are quickly becoming commodities, shifting the real challenge to how effectively companies can translate their data and intelligence into value that buyers and users can clearly understand and defend. I dig into a core tension in B2B products: fiscal buyers and end users want different things. Buyers need confidence, risk reduction, and defensible ROI, while users…

People in this episode

Host: Brian T. O’Neill

Topics covered

• AI products
• analytics
• B2B software
• product development
• user experience
• value creation

Keywords

• model quality
• analytics data
• AI capability
• B2B products
• user adoption
• workflow solutions

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: B2B software companies, AI, analytics

More episodes of Experiencing Data w/ Brian T. O’Neill

• 196 - The Unique Challenges and Solutions to Selling API-based Analytics and Intelligence Products · June 10, 2026 · 28 min
• 195 - Buyers Block: Why Your B2B Analytics or AI Product's POC Didn't Close · May 26, 2026 · 27 min
• 194 - AI for BI: Juan Sequeda on Preparing Your Analytics to Work With LLMs · May 12, 2026 · 50 min
• 193 - Faster…or Better? Creating Value with Blue Ocean Thinking and AI-Powered Product Development · April 28, 2026 · 24 min
• 192 – Product Usage Does Not = Value: Why “Adoption” Metrics Are Misleading You · April 15, 2026 · 47 min
• 191 - Turning Agents into Software that Sells [Smarter!] with Zig.ai CEO Steve Ancheta · April 1, 2026 · 43 min