Why do so many AI initiatives end up failing?

 

Innovation is being stifled by in experienced employees, inadequate planning, and a constrained approach to agile development.

Although agile development approaches are effective in many situations, developers are having significant difficulties when implementing the paradigm in AI applications.

According to RAND institute study, technological difficulties, people’s misconceptions about what’s achievable, and agile development are the main reasons why AI projects fail.

Research cited by RAND suggests as many as 80% of AI projects fail  that’s twice the rate of other technology projects and a serious problem for the industry given the costs involved with AI. RAND notes that the US Department of Defense is spending $1.8 billion annually on military AI applications.

RAND researchers interviewed 65 AI experts, revealing five key causes for failure what the research institute calls “anti-patterns of AI“.

As is often the case, while some of the challenges relate to the technology itself, others have more to do with people.

“AI projects have two components: the technology as a platform (i.e., the development, use, and deployment of AI to complete some set of business tasks) and the organization of the project (i.e., the process, structure, and place in the overall organization),” the research states.

“These two elements enable organizations and AI tools to work together to solve pressing business problems.”

According to RAND, there are a variety of non-technical reasons why IT initiatives fall short of goals, including subpar implementation, issues with user interface, and difficulties living up to expectations.

“AI projects have two components: the technology as a platform (i.e., the development, use, and deployment of AI to complete some set of business tasks) and the organization of the project (i.e., the process, structure, and place in the overall organization),” the research states.

“These two elements enable organizations and AI tools to work together to solve pressing business problems.”

According to RAND, there are a variety of non-technical reasons why IT initiatives fall short of goals, including subpar implementation, issues with user interface, and difficulties living up to expectations.