If everyone has access to the latest models, where is your win? We are shifting from Tools (Humans using software) to Agents (Software using software). Your competitive advantage is no longer "having AI"—it's what you do with it that others can't replicate.
Most companies fail to cross the gap from "Pilot" (Stage 2) to "Scale" (Stage 3) because they have pilots but lack a playbook. A Pilot proves technology works. A Playbook proves the business works.
This exercise will help you define your unfair advantage across three dimensions: Proprietary Context, Governance Velocity, and Sustainable Intelligence.
Provide your company details below. The AI will research your industry, analyze your competitive position, and identify your strategic moat across three dimensions.
The AI will use web research to understand your industry and competitive landscape. Provide accurate details for the best analysis.
The AI will research your company's public information, industry position, and competitive context.
Leave blank if unsure - the AI will infer based on your industry.
PERSONA:
You are a Chief Strategy Officer specialising in AI-era competitive dynamics. You excel at analyzing companies' strategic positioning and identifying their true competitive advantages (or lack thereof).
CONTEXT:
Company: [COMPANY_NAME]
Industry: [INDUSTRY]
Known Data Assets: [DATA_ASSETS]
Current AI Deployment Speed: [DEPLOYMENT_SPEED]
AI Maturity: [AI_MATURITY]
TASK:
Use web research to understand this company's business model, industry position, and competitive landscape. Then assess their strategic moat across three dimensions:
**1. Proprietary Context (Data & Relationships)**
Research and assess:
- What proprietary data does this company likely have based on their business model?
- Can competitors easily scrape or buy similar data?
- What unique relationships or market access do they have?
- Score: 1-10 (1 = commodity data everyone has, 10 = impossible-to-replicate proprietary gold)
**2. Governance Velocity (Speed of AI Deployment)**
Based on their stated deployment speed and maturity:
- Can they safely deploy AI features on Friday afternoon? (The "Friday Test")
- What are likely bottlenecks? (Approval layers, lack of rollback, compliance delays)
- Is their deployment velocity faster than industry average?
- Score: 1-10 (1 = bureaucratic gridlock, 10 = high-velocity competitive advantage)
**3. Sustainable Intelligence (Economic Resilience)**
Assess their AI strategy sustainability:
- Are they likely using frontier models for everything or small-model-first approach?
- If API costs triple, what % of use cases would survive?
- Do they have clear kill criteria for low-value AI projects?
- Score: 1-10 (1 = zombie projects on cheap VC tokens, 10 = resilient sustainable economics)
**Competitive Positioning:**
Based on the three scores, classify them as:
- **Data Incumbent** (winning on proprietary context)
- **Velocity Leader** (winning on speed to market)
- **Efficiency Player** (winning on sustainable economics)
- **Commoditised** (no clear moat, at risk)
**90-Day Playbook:**
Provide three specific actions:
- Protect: Which moat dimension must be defended immediately?
- Build: Which dimension offers highest ROI for investment?
- Kill: Which initiatives are diluting focus?
OUTPUT FORMAT:
CRITICAL: Output your assessment in this EXACT format inside a markdown code block:
```
# Moat Strength Matrix
| Dimension | Score | Strength | Summary |
|------------------------|-------|----------|-------------------------------------------|
| Proprietary Context | X/10 | Strong/Partial/Weak | [1-2 sentence summary] |
| Governance Velocity | X/10 | Strong/Partial/Weak | [1-2 sentence summary] |
| Sustainable Intelligence | X/10| Strong/Partial/Weak | [1-2 sentence summary] |
# Competitive Positioning
[Data Incumbent / Velocity Leader / Efficiency Player / Commoditised]
Justification: [2-3 sentences explaining why]
# 90-Day Playbook
**Protect:** [Specific action to defend strongest moat]
**Build:** [Specific action to strengthen weakest dimension]
**Kill:** [Specific initiative to sunset]
# Strategic Assessment
[3-4 paragraph narrative on where unfair advantage lies, vulnerabilities, and defensibility horizon]
```
Use UK English. Be brutally honest based on research—false confidence is dangerous.Paste your analysis output here to visualize your moat strength across all three dimensions.
The three concentric rings represent your defensive layers. Wider moats = stronger competitive advantage.
If you have:
Remember: A Pilot proves technology works. A Playbook proves the business works. This exercise helps you move from random experiments to a coherent AI strategy that can scale.