I sat down with Carl Lightfoot, Co-Founder of AI Assistant, for a candid and thought-provoking conversation about what it really takes to build value with generative AI—especially in the complex world of automotive. We unpacked the gap between hype and reality, explored Carl’s journey from corporate life to start-up founder, and dug into the hard-won lessons from AI Assistant’s four-year evolution. Carl shared how they navigated technical challenges, reshaped their product based on real user feedback, and ultimately found product-market fit. We also touched on what true customer-centric development looks like, why profitability matters more than ever in GenAI, and what the future might hold for legacy tech players. It was a grounded, insightful chat full of practical takeaways for anyone building—or thinking of building—in AI.