You're paying for 7 AI tools. You're using 2.

Count your AI subscriptions. Now count how many you used this week. That gap? That's complexity debt.

Author

Pallas Advisory
August 13, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

Welcome, AI Strategists

💫 Current thoughts:  Claude 3.5 is out! Wait, GPT-5 is coming! Actually, Gemini 2.0 just dropped!

Exhausting, right?

Every week there's a new "game-changing" AI release. Meanwhile, your credit card is bleeding subscriptions to tools you've already abandoned. (Me? $88 for Eleven Labs I never used. Plus three others I forgot existed.)

Here's what I finally realized: The tools don't matter. The capabilities do.

So I built an engine instead—four core capabilities that work regardless of which AI is flavor of the month:

  • Intelligence (research)

  • Content (creation)

  • Automation (connections)

  • Distribution (reach)

Total: ~$115/month for an entire system.

When the next model drops (and it will), I swap it in like a spark plug. No rebuild. No panic. The engine keeps running. Read more about this in this week’s blog.

This Week's Breakdown

Weekly Blog

Stop Chasing AI Tools.
Start Building an AI Engine.

77% of employees say AI tools increased their workload. The problem? We're buying disconnected tools without a blueprint. This guide presents a framework for building an AI engine with four core capabilities: Intelligence (research command center), Content (brand voice amplifier), Automation (digital infrastructure), and Distribution (reach multiplier). The framework emphasizes human expertise as the differentiator, with AI amplifying rather than replacing strategic thinking.

pallasadvisory.com/2025/08/12/stop-chasing-ai-tools-start-building-ai-engine

AI News Roundup for SMB Decision-Makers and Marketing Professionals

How to Train AI to Actually Understand Your Business

AI tools only deliver meaningful results when they are given clear, structured business context — without it, even the best systems produce irrelevant, low-impact output.

www.entrepreneur.com/growing-a-business/how-to-train-ai-to-actually-understand-your-business/494496

AI is gutting workforces—and an ex-Google exec says CEOs are too busy ‘celebrating’ their efficiency gains to see they’re next

Google’s former chief business officer Mo Gawdat says the notion AI will create jobs is ‘100% crap’. He warns it’ll wipe out jobs, with even ‘incompetent CEOs’ and ‘evil’ government leaders on the chopping block.

fortune.com/2025/08/06/ai-job-killer-ex-google-executive-mo-gawdat-warns-workers-ceos-politicians-replaced-robots

The AI Revolution: What It Means For The Future Of Work

There are incredible opportunities made possible by AI. Here's why workers should stay optimistic even as machines take on more diverse tasks once performed by humans.

www.forbes.com/sites/shephyken/2025/08/10/the-ai-revolution-what-it-means-for-the-future-of-work

5 examples of AI agents in the workplace

We asked business leaders about how they're using AI agents to build autonomous workflow solutions at scale. Here's what they shared.

zapier.com/blog/ai-agents-examples

How To Lead A Team That Leverages AI Tools While Encouraging Curiosity

Learn how to lead a team that uses AI tools effectively while fostering curiosity, building trust, and driving innovation in today’s workplace.

www.forbes.com/sites/dianehamilton/2025/08/09/how-to-lead-a-team-that-leverages-ai-tools-while-encouraging-curiosity

The Real Reason AI Isn't Working at Your Company — and the 3-Step Fix to Change That

AI works best when your team is all in. Here's how to turn adoption into real results.

www.entrepreneur.com/science-technology/the-real-reason-ai-isnt-working-at-your-company-and/494411

Google says web traffic isn't declining. Google Gemini and five other LLMs disagree.

Who are you going to believe, Google or six LLMs trained on every piece of data on the planet?

martech.org/google-says-web-traffic-isnt-declining-google-gemini-and-five-other-llms-disagree

Implementing AI without a problem is a fast road to failure

High-priced pilots. Tools no one uses. Here's how teams go wrong with AI — and how to start with strategy, not just shiny tech.

martech.org/implementing-ai-without-a-problem-is-fast-road-to-failure

Prompt of the Week:

Use this prompt with ChatGPT or Claude to identify which of your current AI tools to keep, cut, or consolidate. Run this monthly to prevent subscription creep.

I need to audit my AI tool subscriptions. I'm going to list all my current AI-related subscriptions, their monthly cost, and when I last used them.

Your task:
1. Categorize each tool by capability (Research/Intelligence, Content Creation, Automation/Integration, Distribution/Scheduling, Analytics, or Other)
2. Identify any redundancies (tools that serve the same purpose)
3. Flag any "zombie subscriptions" (unused for 30+ days)
4. Calculate my total monthly AI spend
5. Recommend a streamlined stack based on the four-capability engine framework:

- Intelligence Hub (research & insights)
- Content Engine (creation & editing)
- Automation Backbone (connecting systems)
- Distribution Channel (publishing & scheduling)

My current subscriptions: [Tool name] - $[XX]/month - Last used: [date or "actively using"] [Add all your tools here]

After analysis, tell me:
- What to definitely keep
- What to cut immediately
- What to consolidate or replace
- Estimated monthly savings
Be ruthless. Complexity debt is real.

Better inputs. Sharper outputs. Download the guide to premium AI.

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