AI will fix it!

Will AI fix your startup? Only if your real problem is a lack of buzzwords. In this episode, JDM and Cameron take on the all-too-common delusion that slapping AI on your pitch deck is a business model. Spoiler: it’s not. Join the guys as they roast three very 2025 startup ideas — each wielding AI like a glowstick in a boardroom — and assign each one a “Delusion Score” on a scale from “surprisingly solid” to “should be illegal in several markets.” Plus: * When AI actually creates customer value — and when it’s just cover for product confusion * The difference between an innovation and a vibe-powered hallucination * Why “emotionally intelligent” AI usually means “massively scalable bias” * The tyranny of sentiment analysis, and why your Slack emojis aren’t a performance metric * And the eternal truth: If no one pays for it, it’s not a business — it’s a hobby with a website Startup Pitches Reviewed 1. AI Hiring Assistant * Parses resumes, predicts cultural fit (yikes), generates interview questions * Delusion Score: 8 “You’re not removing bias — you’re just giving it a LinkedIn scan and a lightsaber.” 2. Manager Mood Oracle * Analyzes Slack to predict employee vibes, nudges managers to act nice * Delusion Score: 5 (Cam) to 9 (JDM), settled on an 8 “Just because the AI tells you to compliment Anna doesn’t mean you’re a good manager.” 3. Fridge Whisperer for Home Cooks * Scans your fridge, suggests recipes, coaches you while you cook * Delusion Score: 4 “Seen it a thousand times. Still no business model. But hey, at least dinner’s covered.” Frivolous Thoughts * Cam: Reassembling life (and closets) after 18 weeks away from home = grown-up Legos * JDM: New Whoop band is cool, except for the part where it tells you you’re aging faster because you stayed up one night watching bad TV * Bonus Tip: Zero to Traction may not actually extend your life, but it will absolutely lower your startup’s mortality rate This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit zerototraction.substack.com