A no-nonsense guide to evaluating an AI tool in one afternoon

Start with ten examples from the work your team actually performs. Remove sensitive information, define a correct outcome and run the same set through every candidate tool.

Record the first result rather than quietly improving prompts until it works. You are evaluating the operating burden as much as the model itself.

Finish by timing human review. A result that takes ten seconds to generate but fifteen minutes to verify may not be an improvement.

Signal & Syntax will continue to update this report as products, pricing and practical evidence change.