😱 I made a fatal mistake in this AI era...💥 Damn it!😭
🤖 Pitfalls of the AI tool era
──The story of how I got left behind by "evolution" after signing an annual contract
🏃♂️ In-person appointments are increasing in my advisory work
Recently, I've been fortunate enough to see an increase in advisory-related projects.
Back when everything was centered on Zoom, taking notes with ChatGPT or Google Docs was enough, but──
as in-person meetings increase, my note-taking can't keep up.
Casual chats in cafes, standing conversations while on the move, rough business negotiations. It's precisely in those moments when I don't have the luxury to take notes thatthe "Wait, what did they say back then?" problem occurs later.
That's when I decided, "I need a recording app."
🔍 I tried various recording apps and ended up with Notta
At first, I hopped between various apps.
Some with transcription, some simple ones just for recording, and some with refined UIs.
Among them, Notta was attractive becauseit could handle recording, transcription, and summarization all in one go.Moreover, there was a free trial, so I signed up with a light heart, thinking, "I'll just give it a try."
At that time, I never imagined──
that before I knew it, I would have signed an "annual contract."
😱 Before I knew it, I had automatically paid for a full year
A few weeks later, I happened to check my email and was shocked.
"Notta Annual Plan Invoice: ●● yen"
I had only used it lightly back then and hadn't even fully implemented it, yet──already,a full year's worth had been charged to my credit card.
What's more, I was only really using the "recording function."
It has a summarization feature, but ChatGPT's accuracy and naturalness are higher, so it ended up being almost useless.
In other words,I am in a state of paying for "only the recording function" at a rate of over 1,000 yen per month.
🚨 "Long-term contracts" for AI tools are too dangerous
What I keenly felt through this incident is thatlong-term contracts for AI tools are extremely high-risk.
The evolution in this field is at an abnormal speed.
It's common for 'new free tools to appear' or 'existing features to be absorbed by other companies' every few months.
For example, the workflow of recording → transcribing → summarizing can already be replaced by ChatGPT or Google Gemini.
In the future, it will likely be naturally integrated into standard smartphone apps.
If that happens, annual subscription tools could end up being a state of 'paying for future free features'.
💡 My future personal rule: '3 checks' before subscribing
Taking this failure as an opportunity, I decided on the following rules for myself.
✅ Always set a reminder for the end of free trials
✅ Simulate in advance: Will I really use this every week?
✅ Always check if it can be integrated or replaced by other tools
Especially in the AI space, it's a world where features 'melt across boundaries'.
A single specialized tool can become worthless in the blink of an eye.
Even as I say this, I'll definitely forget in a year and
end up auto-renewing again... lol
That's it! Notta! You win!
📌 Conclusion: Flexibility is the power to choose the future
In the AI era, the 'power to choose' will become increasingly important.
More than the skill to master tools, it's the skill to choose properly.
To avoid regretting 'I ended up with an annual subscription...' like I did, please take a moment to pause before you subscribe.
Short-term contracts, freedom to cancel, replaceability—
from now on, it might be an era where 'things you can hold loosely' are strong.
If you've had a similar experience of 'accidental billing,' please let me know in the comments...😭 Since this note might save someone else's annual subscription, please like & share if you'd like🙏