Point of view paper template: AI pilots

POINT OF VIEW · AI · 2026

Northwind

Why AI pilots stall.

70% of GenAI pilots never reach production. The model is rarely the reason.

No owner after the demo

Pilots belong to IT. Outcomes belong to the business.

Data nobody trusts

The model is right. The inputs aren’t.

A workflow nobody changed

People keep the old way, plus a new tab.

PRIYA RAMAN · HEAD OF DATA & AI14 PAGES

WHERE PILOTS DIENorthwind

What happens to 100 GenAI pilots.

Started100

↓ −38 · No business owner

Passed the demo62

↓ −31 · Data not ready

Got a budget31

↓ −17 · Workflow unchanged

Reached production14

↓ −5 · Cost at scale

Scaled9

Of the 91 that never scaled, only 4 failed because of the model.

WHY AI PILOTS STALL02 / 03

THE FIXNorthwind

Three moves that change the odds.

MOVEOWNERWHEN

01Name a business ownerCOO or line leaderBefore kick-off

02Fix the data under itHead of dataWeeks 1–4

03Change one workflowProcess ownerBy day 60

3×Pilots that made all three moves reached production three times as often.

PRIYA RAMAN · HEAD OF DATA & AI03 / 03

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Point of view · Why AI pilots stall