- A wizard believed his small pond and proprietary data (frog counts, sentiment, outcomes) gave him a defensible advantage over competitors.
- A sorcerer demonstrated that a general-purpose AI ('goblin') could match or surpass the wizard's specialized pond intelligence using publicly available knowledge.
- The wizard's proprietary data included historical usage and outcomes, but was incomplete, inconsistent, and lacked a clear strategic purpose.
- The sorcerer highlighted that acting on proprietary data reveals strategy, allowing competitors to cheaply copy successful moves.
- The wizard's apprentice, who understood the pond's purpose and judgment, was hired by the sorcerer over the AI because AI lacks decision-making ability.
- The wizard ultimately replaced his apprentice with a goblin AI but realized he had never defined what 'optimizing' the pond meant.
- The key lesson is that data without a clear goal is insufficient; judgment and understanding of purpose are essential.