Are You Building Copilots or Captains?

Most SaaS companies add AI features that help users work faster. The companies building lasting competitive advantage own decisions users trust without verification.

Copilot vs Captain: The Framework

The strategic question for every AI capability you build:

Copilot

Assists the user

  • Reduce friction in existing workflows
  • Suggest next steps
  • Automate repetitive tasks
  • Optimize processes users already do
Examples: AI writing assistant, code completion, smart search, content recommendations

Captain

Makes decisions autonomously

  • Analyze context only you have
  • Apply intelligence only you've built
  • Make decisions users trust without verification
  • Improve continuously through proprietary learning loops
Examples: Auto-route tickets using sentiment + history, dynamic pricing that learns from your market, lead scoring based on your conversion patterns

The Permission Test

The one question that reveals everything: "Does the user need to give permission before action is taken?"

YES = Copilot
User gives permission/takes action
→ Helpful feature, but competitors can copy it
NO = Captain
AI takes action, user can override
→ Decision system that compounds your data advantage