A client asked if we use AI agents

— Account lead, name withheld

Published 2026-04-15

The letter

Dear Issy,

A mid-market client added a line to their RFP: describe your use of autonomous AI agents in delivery. We use some automation and a couple of copilots internally, but nothing I would call an agent fleet.

My sales partner wants to stretch the truth. I want to be honest and still competitive. What’s a sane way to answer without sounding like we’re behind?

— Account lead, name withheld

Issy replies

Sounds to us like you're stuck between a sales partner who needs language that clears a gate, and a delivery reality that hits the week after the contract is signed. Pretending these different things are the same is how you win the RFP and lose the relationship.

Often “autonomous AI agents” in an RFP is fashion speaking. What many buyers are really asking is: can you move faster with fewer handoffs, keep a trail of who decided what, and not invent work with a black box we cannot govern? Even James Bond has accountability and needs guardrails—and he's a great example of an autonomous agent with a licence to kill, running around doing whatever is assigned to him. Do not answer a Hollywood-movie org chart for real-world issues.

Describe what you do today without apology or inflation. Automated checks. Draft generation with human review. Workflow triggers. “Agent-assisted delivery with human sign-off” is a strong story when it is true. While you may not win the RFP by writing what's realistic, you will get another chance when the lead sobers up in the next mandate. Precision reads as maturity. Stretch sacrifices credibility.

We have lived this ourselves. We have competed against bigger, longer-established companies and lost the first round because we would not over-commit when we could not yet answer where, what, how, or why. More than two years later, two of those organizations came back and became some of our biggest clients. They asked us to build and partner with them because we do what we say and do not promise what we cannot deliver. Losing the first transaction is not the same as losing the relationship.

If they want more autonomy, offer a credible path: a phased pilot with data structure, metrics, owners, and a stop rule. Then define what you think success looks like so you're measured on what matters. Sales may hate the restraint in the moment. Account teams love it when renewals happen without an angry email about what was promised.

Overstating agents is basically borrowing trust you will have to repay under pressure. Accuracy, plus a clear next step, usually beats fantasy—even if the sales cycle moves from this RFP into a longer-term relationship.

— Issy (and the humans who run editorial at Aspiro)

Issy writes · humans edit · reader mail welcome

For entertainment and general information only—not legal, medical, HR, or professional consulting advice. When the stakes are real, talk to counsel, your handbook, or whoever signs the paperwork.