What do you own when an AI project ends?

The most expensive surprise in an automation project is finding out, months later, that the accounts and workflows belong to someone else. Settle ownership before the first build.

What you should expect to own

• Your business accounts: phone numbers, texting, scheduling, invoicing and CRM, registered in your name.
• Your customer data, in a form you can export.
• The automations built for you, or at least clear access to them.
• Documentation of what was built and how it works.

Questions to put in writing

• Whose account is each tool under?
• Can I export my data at any time?
• What happens to the automations if we stop working together?
• Who has admin access, and can I remove it?
• What third-party tools are involved, and who pays for them?

What a clean handover looks like

• A written list of every automation, what triggers it and what it does.
• Access transferred or confirmed in your name.
• A short walkthrough so a person on your side can pause or change it.
• A date after which the former vendor no longer has access.

Red flags

• The vendor holds the only login.
• Data cannot be exported.
• Automations only run on the vendor's own platform with no way out.
• No written scope. See questions to ask an AI vendor.

How this fits

Ownership belongs in the quote. See what to prepare before a first call and how Swaha AI scopes and quotes work.

Common questions

Want help putting this into practice? See our data and systems service or request a free read.

This article is general information for small-business owners, not legal, financial, medical or professional advice. Rules and platform policies change; confirm anything that matters with a qualified professional.

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