Honest question: where has AI actually helped your proposal process, and where has it let you down?

I want to get a real conversation going here, not a highlights reel.

We hear a lot about what AI is supposed to do for proposals. I want to know what it has actually done for yours, good and bad.

I will start.

Where it has genuinely helped us:

Compliance matrix generation from RFP documents saves 2 to 4 hours per proposal
First draft generation for boilerplate sections like firm overview and management approach cuts writing time significantly when given good source material
Rewriting for page limits: paste in a 600-word section with a 300-word limit and AI does a solid job

Where it has fallen short:

Anything requiring real agency-specific context. AI does not know that this particular county program officer cares deeply about local subcontractor participation.
Technical approach sections without strong human input. The drafts are generic and evaluators can tell.
Anything where the firm's voice and differentiation needs to come through. AI writes average. Winning proposals are not average.

Net verdict: AI as an accelerant is real. AI as a proposal writer is marketing.

What has your experience been? Drop your honest take below. No judgment here, just real data from real teams.

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