Today, it seems every business is competing to win the “AI race.” But what does that mean exactly? Quick adoption? Quick innovation?
Our G2 Reach event was all about moving at the speed of AI, so we invited industry leaders from Canva, Qualified, and 1mind to a panel discussion on how they’re leading with AI. Jason Lemkin, SaaStr’s CEO & Founder, moderated the conversation and helped pull out some interesting themes that I wanted to share here.
Meet the experts
Moderator:
Panelists:
Let’s dive into my three key takeaways from this panel. Some may surprise you.
1. Customers only care about solutions, not necessarily AI
After using AI to develop an exciting new product feature or tool, it’s tempting to add “AI-powered” to every marketing campaign. But here’s the thing: customers don’t actually care about that.
Customers and prospects only care about how you’re going to solve their problems; they aren't searching specifically for AI solutions. For example, Rob Giglio from Canva shared that the search traffic for phrases like “make a poster,” “build a presentation,” or “create a whiteboard” is much higher than searches like “Canva AI” or “AI in Canva.”
Source: G2 Reach 2024
Kraig Swensrud from Qualified put it perfectly when he explained that their customers aren't looking for AI SDRs; they're looking for pipeline generation. The technology is just a means to an end.
Nobody wakes up thinking, "I need some AI in my life today." They wake up thinking, "I need to generate more qualified leads" or "I need to close deals faster." The companies that will win are the ones focusing their messaging on outcomes rather than capabilities.
Speaking of AI SDRs: Did you know G2 offers our own Specialized AI Agent, Monty for Sales? We designed Monty specifically for pipeline generation. Prospects who chat with Monty are 30x more likely to book a demo.
2. AI differentiation will actually rely on humans, not tech
The panel discussed a future where we’ll likely see technology parity in AI. If every business has access to the same technology, what will set them apart from each other?
The answer: human expertise and implementation strategy.
Rob used a great analogy about how putting an amateur behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car won't make them a racing champion. Similarly, having access to the same AI tools won't automatically make every company equally capable.
This raises some important questions for many SaaS companies. Are we investing enough in understanding our customers? Do we have the expertise to implement AI in ways that truly solve their problems? It's not just about having the technology anymore - it's about having the deep industry knowledge and customer empathy to apply it effectively.
3. AI-Led Growth is the next evolution of PLG
I know many of us ask ourselves: “How can AI make me more efficient at my job?” Answering this question has resulted in exciting productivity upgrades to tools and workflows. But Amanda Kahlow from 1mind warned that this mindset could be holding us back.
She suggested we're witnessing something much bigger than incremental improvements. Introducing the concept of "AI-Led Growth" (AI-LG) as the next evolution beyond Product-Led Growth (PLG), Amanda underscored that the AI race isn’t just about making existing processes more efficient - it's about fundamentally reimagining how businesses operate.
What struck me was her observation that incumbents might struggle with this transition because it requires more than just adding AI features to existing products. It demands rethinking entire organizational structures and customer journeys. One example she gave was that we might not need separate roles for inbound SDRs, sales engineers, and solution engineers in the future — a single “digital superhuman” powered by AI could handle all this work.
Rethinking the AI race
The message is clear: AI isn't just another feature to add to your product roadmap. It's a fundamental shift in how we can deliver value to our customers. The winners won't be the companies with the best AI technology; the winners will be the ones who stay close to their customers, understand their pain points, and solve their problems.
The race isn't to build the best AI - it's to build the best solutions that happen to be powered by AI. There's a crucial difference.
Don’t miss out on what else the panel discussed. You can watch it on-demand here, along with all the other exciting Reach sessions.
