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Not Everything Needs AI: A Guide to Deterministic vs Intelligent Workflows

A framework for splitting deterministic scoring from AI-powered analysis to control costs and risk.

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When we built the MACH & AI Readiness Assessment at Fidget Labs, we made a deliberate choice. The scoring engine is 100% deterministic. Mathematically locked. No AI involved. No token cost. No hallucination risk.

AI only shows up when it's time to generate your personalized analysis. That's the moment where interpretation and context matter. That's where intelligence earns its cost.

This is the split most teams aren't making. And it's why their token budgets are on fire.

The new article on Focal Point walks through the full framework. Deterministic vs AI-powered. When to use each. What AI Runaway actually looks like. And the guardrails that keep things from going full crayon-on-the-walls.

Because there's a real difference between an AI strategy and an AI expense.

https://fidgetlabs.io/focal-point/deterministic-vs-ai #AIEnablement #MACH #AIStrategy #Composable

About the author

Twenty years of transforming enterprises through MACH architecture, composable commerce, and AI enablement. I bring a human-centered approach that puts people first.

Writes about MACH, AI Strategy, Consulting, AI Enablement, Business Architecture.

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Cite this post

APA

Baron, K. (2026, June 20). Not Everything Needs AI: A Guide to Deterministic vs Intelligent Workflows. Markwright. https://markwright.app/feed/not-everything-needs-ai-a-guide-to-deterministic-vs-intelligent-workflows

MLA

Baron, Kerrigan. "Not Everything Needs AI: A Guide to Deterministic vs Intelligent Workflows." Markwright, 20 June 2026, https://markwright.app/feed/not-everything-needs-ai-a-guide-to-deterministic-vs-intelligent-workflows.

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