Nobody has an edge in AI - except big tech
· 10 min read
Most AI agents use the same models and patterns, making them easy to copy. The defensible advantage lies in proprietary data and the knowledge of how your business actually works.
K5 Future Retail Conference Berlin 2026 | Image based on K5 Mediathek recording material.
At K5, I kept seeing the same promise in different packaging: an AI agent that searches, advises, decides, or buys. Many of the demos were impressive. Yet once I looked under the hood, one uncomfortable question kept coming back: if the intelligence is rented through an API and the solution can be copied, where is the competitive advantage? In my opinion, it is not in the agent. It is in proprietary data and the knowledge of how your business actually works.