Overview

• Forbes reports that many generative-AI pilots are not advancing to production, citing a recent MIT study that found failures occurring at an alarming rate.
• McKinsey’s Oana Cheta argues the shortfall is an enterprise problem, saying companies are under-wired and under-equipped rather than the technology being overhyped.
• High costs for infrastructure, systems integration, and specialized talent are limiting the shift from agentic workflows to fully autonomous AI agents in production.
• The piece recommends a dual-speed strategy that pairs quick, low-capital wins with concurrent redesign of core processes and operating models to deliver durable productivity gains.
• Leaders succeeding in deployment treat AI as modular building blocks by investing in orchestration and memory layers, agent libraries, decision protocols, and foundational protocols such as MCP and A2A, with surveys showing individual use outpacing corporate adoption.