AI Shortlist · Guides
Most companies don't have an AI problem. They have a subscription problem that AI made worse.
1. Export the last three months of your card statement. Filter for software.
2. List every subscription. Next to each, write the last date you actually used it.
3. For each, write one number: hours saved last month × what an hour costs you, minus the price.
4. Sort ascending. Cancel the bottom third this week.
The unopened wrapper. A single-purpose app that calls the same AI model you already pay for. You're paying twice for one capability.
The duplicate frontier model. Two or three general assistants on paid plans, each used a few times a month. Keep one, use the others' free tiers.
The bundled AI you already bought. AI features inside a product you buy for something else, priced as a separate add-on. Check whether the base plan now includes it.
The trial that converted silently. Annual plans from a launch-week discount, never opened since. This is the most common leak.
The tool for the project that ended. Nobody cancels these because nobody owns them. Assign an owner per subscription or they live forever.
Things that usually survive the audit: a notetaker you use weekly, one frontier assistant, a support tool with measurable deflection, and whatever genuinely holds your business records. Notice how short that list is.
• Annual lock-in. Cancel before the renewal date, not after — most vendors bill automatically and don't refund.
• Dependency you forgot. Before cancelling, check API keys, integrations, and shared logins. Broken workflows cost more than the subscription.