For Practitioners

Where we explore new ideas about AI operations, leadership, and the occasional philosophical detour.

Pilot Purgatory: Why "Successful" AI Pilots Never Reach Production

September 15, 2026 · Anthony Franco

AI Operations Enterprise AI Process Improvement

The pilot worked, the demo dazzled, and then it sat in 'pilot' for eighteen months and died. The pilot didn't succeed despite being unrealistic; it succeeded because it was. Clean data, a motivated volunteer, a babysitter, no angry Tuesday. Write the production criteria before you run the pilot.

AI First Principles: Moving Beyond the Hype

February 24, 2026 · Anthony Franco

AI First Principles AI Operations Enterprise AI

The hype cycle is breaking. AI isn't failing because the technology is bad. It's failing because we're managing probabilistic tools with deterministic playbooks. The fix isn't better prompts. It's better principles.