"The measure of intelligence is the ability to change."

—Albert Einstein, Theoretical Physicist

AI tools are everywhere. From your CRM’s new "smart" features to that chatbot your BDC manager keeps testing. But let’s get real: just because your team uses AI doesn’t mean it’s working.

A new Forbes roundup of expert advice reveals what separates high-impact AI adoption from empty tech theater. Here’s what dealership leaders should be asking right now:

The Illusion of Efficiency

If you think AI is a simple shortcut to faster deals, lower payroll, and happier teams, you might be skipping some steps.

Studies show that frontline employees often feel less productive when AI tools are dropped into their workflow. Why? They're stuck reviewing clunky outputs, relearning processes, or covering gaps the bots leave behind.

How to Measure AI Success

Let’s talk metrics that matter. If you want to know whether AI is working, don’t look at activity. Look at outcomes. Here are three questions every team should ask:

1️⃣ Are we creating more value?

This could be faster deal cycles, better service response times, or smoother appointment setting—without lowering quality.

2️⃣ Are our people using AI with agency?

Are they just copying outputs, or are they tweaking, building, and improving with the tool? Creative use = deeper adoption.

3️⃣ Are we solving higher-leverage problems?

Is AI freeing your people up to think bigger? If your top talent is still buried in admin work, you haven’t leveled up—you’ve just shuffled the inbox.

What to Watch Out For

• Tasks are completed faster but quality drops off.

• AI content needs constant rework, but no one’s improving it.

• Team members can't explain or take ownership of AI-assisted work.

If any of that sounds familiar, it's time to revisit your AI rollout—and maybe scale it back before scaling it up.

The Bottom Line

The best AI setups don’t replace people—they amplify them. Want your service writers to communicate better? Your marketing team to move faster? Your BDC to work smarter? AI can help, if you’re honest about what it’s for and how to use it effectively.

While the rest of the internet overcomplicates prompt engineering, OpenAI’s President Greg Brockman broke it down in a recent post on X:

• Goal: Say exactly what you want. Be specific, or get vague results.

• Return Format: Tell it how you want the answer—table, list, checklist, roadmap, interpretive dance (okay, maybe not that last one).

• Warnings: What should it avoid? Be clear about what not to include.

• Context Dump: Drop in the data, notes, or background that gives your prompt real-world depth.

For example, you could try something like this:

Simple. Specific. Strategic. This framework is your shortcut to smarter prompts, and even smarter outcomes.

• Management & Operations: ZBrain
  A no-code platform for building custom AI agents that plug directly into your existing workflows. Perfect for automating support, optimizing operations, or creating internal tools that think the way your dealership works.

   

• Data Management: H20.ai
  A robust AI platform offering automated machine learning (AutoML) and deep learning capabilities to accelerate data-driven decision-making. It helps make AI outputs explainable, auditable, and compliant—ideal for businesses needing transparency in high-stakes decisions (like dealerships).
   

• Marketing & Advertising: Turbo Marketing
  An AI-powered marketing engine built specifically for dealership growth. It creates thousands of dynamic ads across platforms, optimizes campaigns in real time, and targets shoppers before they enter the funnel. Ideal for conquesting, digital events, and turning inventory into immediate leads.

Forget future talk. AI is pitching, persuading, and closing right now.

In this session, we get into what’s actually happening behind the curtain: how AI sales agents are being used, how buyers are reacting, and what it means when a machine starts running your showroom scripts.

Watch the full session to see what’s ahead.

• The RAISE Act cleared New York’s legislature, mandating disclosures from high-risk AI developers to reduce the risk of mass casualties or billion-dollar disasters. 👩‍⚖️

• Barbie maker, Mattel just tapped OpenAI to infuse its toys and design process with artificial intelligence. 🧸

• From love advice to phone numbers, Meta AI is showcasing personal chats in a public “Discover” tab without some users realizing it. 😳