The most uncomfortable AI number of the year comes from MIT: around 95 percent of GenAI pilot projects in companies produce no measurable impact on the bottom line. Five percent, however, deliver – sometimes dramatically. Let’s talk about the five percent.
The study (“The GenAI Divide”, 150 interviews, 350 survey respondents, 300 deployments examined) reveals a clear pattern: it almost never fails because of the technology. It fails because of how it is deployed. (Source: MIT NANDA via Fortune)
What the 5 % do differently
They start with the process, not the tool. According to MIT, the big gains aren’t in the marketing front end but in the back office: workflows that are expensive, slow, and repetitive today. That’s exactly where AI stops being a toy and becomes a lever.
They buy and partner instead of building everything themselves. In the study, purchased, specialized solutions were roughly twice as successful as in-house builds. Pride is not an architecture principle.
They measure. Without a baseline, you can’t prove progress – and you’ll get cut at the next budget review. The 5 % define up front what success means in euros, hours, or error rates.
And they empower people. Generic chatbots fail inside companies because they don’t know the workflows. The difference is made by people who understand both: the process and the technology. Those are exactly the people we train – with a real process from their own company as the capstone project.
“Anyone can play. Value goes to those who master AI inside the process.”
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