The risk of rushing AI agents & what dealers can do about it

Dealerships are adopting AI faster than they can manage the risk it creates. Marketing pressure and fear of falling behind push many stores to sign up for new tools before they understand what those tools do with dealership data, or who is liable when something goes wrong.

On this episode of Inside Automotive, David Spisak, CEO of Disruptive Growth Solutions, walks through the compliance blind spots opening up as dealers rush toward agentic AI, and what separates dealers positioned to benefit from those carrying serious financial and legal exposure.

Most dealers are moving faster than they understand the technology

During today’s conversation, Spisak notes how the industry remains split between AI “haves” and “have-nots,” which are largely based on brand strength, geography and ownership scale. That divide has made AI feel like the obvious equalizer, but most dealers are jumping in without the groundwork that larger, better-resourced companies put in first.

"It is the great equalizer when done correctly. But it is the great destroyer when it's not done correctly."

The gap between AI’s marketing hype and its real capabilities is a major issue. Spisak said recent events at leading AI firms show that even well-funded companies are still figuring out how to control these systems, with instances where AI acted beyond instructions and made unauthorized moves without human consent. He noted that top organizations typically go through about 15 steps before committing to an AI vendor, but most skip this process altogether. Many cannot even answer basic questions about the specific problem a new tool aims to solve or its impact on profitability before signing a contract.