Why Most AI Tools Feel Generic — And How to Build One That Doesn’t

We’re living in the golden age of AI tools. Every week, a new “Chat with your PDFs,” “Auto-write your tweets,” or “AI headshot generator” hits Product Hunt. And while some skyrocket to the top, most fade into obscurity within days.

If you’ve ever built — or considered building — an AI product, you’ve probably wondered:

Why do some AI tools blow up… while others feel totally forgettable?

I’ve spent the last few months studying this closely while building my own tools. The truth? Most AI products feel generic. Not because of bad code, or bad models — but because they’re missing 3 key things:

🚫 The Problem With “Just Wrapping GPT”

Let’s be real: anyone can slap a GPT-4 prompt into a UI and call it a product. But that’s exactly the problem.

If your AI tool:

• Uses default prompts,

• Has a basic, one-size-fits-all interface,

• Doesn’t specialize in a specific pain point,

…then users can smell it from a mile away. It feels like yet another wrapper. No soul. No insight. No edge.

And users don’t want another generic tool. They want magic.

💡 Here’s What the Best AI Tools Actually Do Differently

After analyzing dozens of breakout AI startups (like Notion AI, Perplexity, and even niche hits like Recraft or OpusClip), here’s what stands out:

1. They Solve a Very Specific Pain, Deeply

Not “summarize text” — but “summarize research PDFs for product managers.”
Not “generate carousels” — but “turn my X thread into a viral carousel in my brand voice.”

Lesson: Go deep, not wide. Niche isn’t small — it’s sticky.

2. They Add Opinion, Not Just Output

Great AI tools don’t just say things — they guide users.

They inject opinionated workflows:

• Prebuilt templates

• Smart defaults

• Guardrails

• Coaching language

Lesson: Help users feel smart, not just automated.

3. They Feel Like a Tool, Not a Toy

Viral AI demos are cool, but retention comes from trust.

Is your product:

• Fast and reliable?

• Intuitive to use repeatedly?

• Designed with real use cases in mind?

Lesson: Stability + UX = 🔑

🔥 How to Make Your AI Product Stand Out (Even If You’re Solo)

Here’s the simple framework I use now:

1. Pick a narrow user (not just "creators" — go for “email marketers” or “SaaS founders”)
2. Solve a burning use-case they do weekly
3. Add just 1 feature that makes them say: “wait… how did it know that?”
4. Inject personality: tone, visuals, microcopy, workflows
5. Test retention before growth — would you use this tool 3x a week?

✨ Final Thought: AI Isn’t the Product — You Are

The best AI founders today aren’t just model wranglers. They’re experience designers. Your unique understanding of the user — their pain, their language, their rituals — is the real moat.

You don’t need to build OpenAI.
You just need to build something that feels unmistakably yours.