[tzhenghao]

My general rule of thumb is that any AI/ML is a result of it being a solution to a pain point within existing product(s). Not having a product with a necessary scale or require the technical sophistication of AI/ML but pitching it as if it has it is imo a red flag. This I call premature optimization.

Another point is marketing. A ride sharing service like Uber or Lyft could easily market themselves as "using AI/ML to solve last mile transportation". There's reason to believe they have some ML teams that do amazing work to support the ride sharing product. Both above have paying customers.