This month’s discussion centered on a big question: what’s really moving the needle with AI right now? Spoiler alert: it’s not just more pilots.
We opened with discussion of the viral claim that “95% of AI pilots fail.” As Adam pointed out, that number mostly depends on how success was defined, i.e. impact on the P&L in under six months. By that measure, almost any transformative effort will look like a failure. The overlooked finding? The real gains often come from “shadow AI”—employees quietly using ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini in their daily work, unlocking productivity long before official initiatives scale.
That led us to a bigger point: pilots aren’t the story, transformation is. When AI is treated like something embedded in workflows, decision-making, and customer experience, it uplifts the entire workforce. That shift doesn’t happen through a single experiment. It happens when the CEO sets the tone and internal champions connect AI directly to business outcomes.
As Andy put it: pilots are hard, and many will fail early ROI tests. But that doesn’t mean AI is overhyped. It means the work ahead is about building organizational muscle, not chasing quick wins.
The Layoff Headlines
Accenture, Lufthansa, Starbucks, Walmart. Many recent workforce changes are being linked to AI. The reality is more nuanced. Economic pressures remain the main driver, but AI provides both a rationalization and, in many cases, a genuine opportunity to do more with less.
For leaders, this is where culture matters. Some companies are mandating daily AI use and ranking employees on proficiency. Others are positioning AI as a way to defer hiring while making jobs more meaningful. The message you choose will shape how your team engages with the technology.
Our guidance: don’t let fear drive the narrative. Anchor AI adoption in culture, clear policy, and redeployment of talent to higher-value work. A strong playbook starts with:
A clear AI use policy
A cross-functional champions group
Baseline training for all employees
One or two meaningful, end-to-end problems to solve with AI
From Tools to Agents
We closed with a look at Pulse, OpenAI’s new mobile-only feature for Pro subscribers. Each morning it surfaces briefs drawn from your own chat history and goals. For Adam, the experience has been surprisingly powerful…connecting dots across projects in ways he wouldn’t have thought of on his own.
Pulse hints at the next chapter: AI that actively works alongside you. The shift from tools to agents, from search to proactive intelligence, raises important questions about privacy, context, and trust, but also signals how deeply AI will be embedded in the way we work.
The Thread Through It All
AI is no longer about hype or pilots. It’s about building an AI-First culture—one where everyday use, complex problem-solving, and proactive agents become part of how work gets done.
If you missed this month’s call, join us on October 28th for the next one. Bring an experiment you’re running, a challenge you’re facing, or just your curiosity—we’ll dig in together.