Be transparent: AI that serves clients, not us

Every day, headlines celebrate the latest breakthroughs in AI and technology in general. Amid all the excitement, it’s easy to lose sight of a fundamental question: who should we, as technology partners, be benefiting with the technology advances?

Today, I’m writing about a common dilemma for companies like us. It’s something we rarely talk about, but we all know how it works. This reality shapes who we are and what we do.

History is full of examples where technology was used to lock clients in, rather than empower them. We’ve all seen the tactics, such as restricting access to a client’s own data, hiding essential integrations behind paywalls, charging “premium” fees for features that should be standard… The list continues. Far from building trust, these practices erode it.

Now, in the AI age, a new pattern is emerging. Some companies are monetizing the productivity of AI agents, charging clients by the query, token, line of code (or any other “productivity” metric) generated by tools that are, in reality, publicly available. Let’s be clear: leveraging AI to accelerate delivery is a leap forward. But when companies charge for the output of an agent that anyone can access, are they truly adding value? Or are they simply reselling what’s already on the market?

To me, the real value lies in how we apply technology to solve our clients’ unique challenges. Coding agents are powerful tools, much like Google or Stack Overflow were for developers not so long ago. Yes, they help us deliver faster, but the benefit should flow directly to our clients, not just us. Think of AI as the Iron Man suit for our developers: it amplifies their abilities, enabling them to deliver more in less time. So why would we condition our clients to access this advantage (one that any developer in the world has available right now) only if they pay for it?

The real value of AI-enhanced development belongs to our clients by default. Anything less is a disservice to both innovation and partnership.

Our philosophy is as simple as it is clear: we should be charging for the expertise and talent our team brings to the table, not for the raw output of a tool.

This principle has guided CloudX from the beginning. As technology partners, we have the responsibility to remove barriers, simplify AI adoption for our clients, and deliver solutions that drive real transformation in their businesses. Of course sustainable business models matter, but profit should be the outcome of trust and value creation. If our clients’ trust is our most valuable asset, there is no reason to create artificial barriers to maintain it or to earn it in the first place.

The tech industry stands at a crossroads. We can use technological breakthroughs to deepen client partnerships, or we can fall into the trap of short-term gains at the expense of long-term trust. I believe the choice is clear.

This is not a new debate. It always resurfaces with every wave of disruptive innovation. However, it’s crucial to address it openly and honestly. Only by doing so can we shape an industry that truly puts people first.