95% of AI Pilots Crash – Engineers are paying the price

A fresh MIT study just uncovered a shocking truth: $35‑40 B spent on AI pilots, and 9‑out‑of‑10 deliver zero ROI.

Why do so many experiments stall?

1. Scope creep – trying to solve everything at once dilutes impact.
2. In‑house models – custom builds eat time, talent, and budget.
3. Wrong targets – low‑value, high‑visibility tasks rarely pay off.

The winning formula is to pick one narrow problem, grab a battle‑tested off‑the‑shelf tool, and set a clear KPI. Teams that did this turned no revenue into $20 M in a year.

Check the AI Disaster Report article, a practical checklist, and a ready-to-copy email template to help you avoid common pitfalls in your next AI experiment.

https://techleadmastery.substack.com/p/ai-disaster-report-95-percent-pilots-fail-checklist