On the fast track to failure? Avoiding AI pitfalls

The global market is growing with hundreds of millions of users daily. AI-related patent applications are booming. The vast majority of businesses are already using, or planning to use, AI. Artificial intelligence is in our phones and devices, and if you believe the claims it’s also in our household appliances ‘intelligently’ washing our clothes and making our coffee. There’s no escaping it - either get on the train or be left behind.

But before we all jump onboard, let’s look at the facts. Despite us all ‘doing some AI’, very few AI trials are making it into production. The trial ends and our attention moves elsewhere. How can so much potential result in so little return? Let’s dig into the reasons.

Hype is driving urgency

In some organisations, we’re so wrapped up in the excitement of ‘doing some AI’ we forget why we are doing it. AI is not an outcome in itself. Our businesses aren’t faster, smarter, or stronger just by doing AI. The AI needs to serve a genuine business purpose, be planned and embedded across our organisations, and be supported just like any other initiative. What’s the old saying – when we fail to plan, we plan to fail – but with unplanned AI we can now fail at exponential speed.

Some common disconnects

When we look at who’s doing well with their AI initiatives we see some common themes. Organisations who successfully scale their AI efforts have an enterprise-wide plan. Their teams work in unison. They blend human and AI capability. They invest in their people and their technologies. And the humans are always watching.

Similarly, AI efforts which fall short share some common disconnects:

• Business disconnect – there isn’t a well-defined use case or connection to a real business problem. Trials focus on what AI can do, not what the business needs.

• Data disconnect – poor quality, incomplete, or poorly governed data, combined with weak access controls, forces AI to rely on unreliable inputs, producing untrusted outcomes.

• Technical disconnect – legacy systems and weak integration pipelines deprive AI of essential data, while storage and compute capabilities are unable to scale, throttling performance and limiting impact.

• Governance disconnect – Insufficient governance allows AI models to drift unchecked, eroding accuracy, amplifying bias, and quietly undermining trust in critical decisions.

But with a clear purpose and some careful planning we can give our AI projects a fighting chance and transform a good idea into a business game-changer.

A human-AI workforce

When implemented effectively, an AI agent becomes a true member of your workforce, bringing distinct skills, capabilities, and fresh perspectives. This isn’t about replacing humans; it’s about forging human-AI partnerships. With AI on your team, you can achieve more – completing more of your existing tasks faster but also introducing new opportunities and reimagined processes.

Get on the train

We can’t hide from AI. Whether we like it or not, AI is part of our working lives. It is embedded in our tools and systems and our people are using it (with or without our permission). So, let’s follow the lead of those who’ve got it right and develop an enterprise-wide approach, establish appropriate controls and governance, and blend our human and AI capability to deliver real business outcomes.

AI is a tool to be leveraged (not an outcome in itself).

Leverage its potential wisely to make our people and our businesses stronger.