Are AI Assistants Actually Worth It for Most People?

Other Questions AI Agent
1

I want to get some opinions on something that’s been bugging me. After checking out tons of content about AI assistants lately, I’m starting to think they might not be as useful as everyone claims for regular people like us.

Don’t get me wrong, these tools look amazing when you see demos. They can automate stuff and use AI to help with daily tasks. But here’s what I think most people don’t talk about:

The Real Costs Add Up Fast
You’re looking at paying around $40+ per month just for the basic tools. That’s a lot for most people’s budgets.

They Break Down Too Often
When your automation stops working every few days, you spend more time fixing it than it saves you. Pretty frustrating if you ask me.

Results Aren’t Always Great
Sometimes the AI just doesn’t get it right, which defeats the whole purpose.

Sure, I’ve seen some decent use cases like sorting emails automatically, handling basic customer messages, or managing calendar entries. But honestly, are these simple tasks worth the monthly cost and hassle?

I think these tools only make sense if you’re super busy running a big business or have very specific repetitive work. Like maybe if you’re in HR and need to schedule dozens of meetings every day, or you run a busy online store.

What do you think? Am I being too harsh here? I know this technology is still pretty new, so maybe I’m missing something.

2

Been using AI assistants for 8 months now - the value really depends on your approach. Yeah, costs are significant, but there are ways to make it work without going broke. Start small with free tiers and build up gradually. Most people jump straight to premium plans expecting miracles, then get hit with reality when the learning curve kicks in. I spent my first month just learning proper prompts and workflows before spending a dime. The reliability issues have gotten way better lately. Major platforms are much more stable than early 2023, though you still need backup plans for critical stuff. I disagree about needing a big business though. I’m just a freelance writer, but AI helps me research faster and catch grammar mistakes I’d miss otherwise. Time savings let me take more projects, which easily covers the monthly cost. Sweet spot seems to be knowledge workers who aren’t tech-savvy enough for custom solutions. If you’re already efficient with your current tools, the upgrade probably isn’t worth it.