The truth about AI implementation

AI talk is everywhere at the moment.

But something that doesn’t make the headlines is the fact that the most businesses are failing to implement effectively.

I suppose it shouldn’t be that surprising – research consistently indicates that 63 to 90% of ALL growth, change and digital transformation projects fail.

And I think that’s the context in which we should look at AI failing.  It’s not the tech. 

It’s the environment that most businesses are trying to drop the tech into.

Leaders are buying licences, encouraging teams to “use AI”, running the odd training session, and hoping productivity will follow.

For a while, it looks like progress.

People use ChatGPT. Someone saves time writing reports. A manager creates a better spreadsheet. A few people become internal enthusiasts.

But beyond that, the bigger impact never seems to arrive.

AI implementation is not really a technology challenge. 

It’s a people, leadership and transformation challenge.

I’ve seen first hand how mixed messages and unaligned priorities stop AI from having the power it could, with the senior team advocating it, and the middle managers unsure what they should actually be doing with it.

Which – of course – feeds down into their teams, resulting in scattered activity rather than business transformation.

With all that said, the question for CEOs shouldn’t be, “Which AI tool should we buy?”

A better question is: “Is our business ready to change the way work gets done?”

That means looking honestly at leadership alignment, employee confidence, skills, decision-making, communication, reporting, incentives and trust.

If your teams are already unclear on priorities, AI will not magically create alignment.

If decisions already get stuck between departments, AI will not automatically speed them up.

If people do not feel safe to test, learn and improve, they will use AI cautiously, quietly, or not at all.

If you’ve got a challenge around AI, or any growth or transformation project, and you’d benefit from talking it through, feel free to drop me a message; I’d be happy to help.

Chris