Leap Trends · Technology · From pilot to practice
Theme
From pilot to practice
The publications cover the step from AI pilots to widespread use, and the distance between adopting AI and getting measurable results from it.
The conclusions and topics were compiled with AI from the publications on this page, with the sources alongside. How that works · How we count
What the publications show
Deloitte and MIT NANDA describe a gap between trying out AI and getting results from it. Deloitte reports that in manufacturing, one in five AI applications has been scaled up widely; MIT NANDA sees many generative AI pilots without measurable business results.
Deloitte Switzerland, 2026 (opens in a new window) · MIT NANDA, 2025 (opens in a new window)
Where scaling does succeed, these sources say, it involves AI built into the work itself: pilots that redesign the work and measure outcomes, and in factories AI that transfers knowledge so that new technicians can work independently sooner.
MIT NANDA, 2025 (opens in a new window) · Deloitte Switzerland, 2026 (opens in a new window)
An essay from Politecnico di Milano argues that being ready for AI does not in itself produce value in projects, and distinguishes AI readiness from the ability to turn AI insights into value for stakeholders. This rests on a single publication without data of its own.
Topics within from pilot to practice
This list shows what the publications on this theme are about, with the number for each topic. Open a topic to see its publications; if a topic has a briefing, the link is underneath.
- Briefing: GenAI pilots, productivity gains and the bottom line →
Pilots without results2 publications
- The GenAI Divide: State of AI in Business 2025 · MIT NANDA, 2025
- Are projects ready for AI — or for the value it generates? · Politecnico di Milano, 2026
- Briefing: The technician shortage in manufacturing and AI in onboarding →
AI in the factory1 publication
- AI in Manufacturing 2026: From pilot value to scaled industrial impact · Deloitte Switzerland, 2026
- Briefing: Agent-washing and the cost and value of agent projects →
Agent projects2 publications
- Gartner Predicts Over 40% of Agentic AI Projects Will Be Canceled by End of 2027 · Gartner, 2025
- AI in Manufacturing 2026: From pilot value to scaled industrial impact · Deloitte Switzerland, 2026
Briefings on other themes that touch on this one
These briefings belong to another theme but also cover from pilot to practice.
Agent-washing and the cost and value of agent projects
- Agent-washing
- Value of agent projects
- Managing agents
The number of AI agents is growing fast, but Gartner expects over four in ten agent projects to be cancelled by the end of 2027 because of rising costs and unclear value. Vendors, meanwhile, are sticking the agent label on existing products. The value goes to companies that manage agents as a single programme.
| Month | Publications |
|---|---|
| December 2025 | 0 |
| January 2026 | 0 |
| February 2026 | 0 |
| March 2026 | 0 |
| April 2026 | 1 |
| May 2026 | 1 |
| June 2026 | 1 |
| July 2026 | 0 |
| August 2026 | 1 |
| September 2026 | 3 |
| October 2026 | 1 |
| November 2026 | 0 |
updated · 9 publications
GenAI pilots, productivity gains and the bottom line
- From pilot to results
- Productivity
- Measuring outcomes
Individual productivity gains from AI have been widely measured, but the share of organisations that see them in business results has been stuck at just over a third for two years. The pilots that do break through redesign the work itself and measure outcomes rather than usage.
| Month | Publications |
|---|---|
| December 2025 | 1 |
| January 2026 | 1 |
| February 2026 | 0 |
| March 2026 | 1 |
| April 2026 | 0 |
| May 2026 | 0 |
| June 2026 | 1 |
| July 2026 | 1 |
| August 2026 | 1 |
| September 2026 | 1 |
| October 2026 | 0 |
| November 2026 | 0 |
updated · 8 publications
The technician shortage in manufacturing and AI in onboarding
- Knowledge on the factory floor
- Shortage of technicians
- Onboarding with AI
Demand for technicians in manufacturing is growing faster than demand for production staff, and in the Netherlands machine fitters are very scarce. Deloitte sees AI as a way to build knowledge into the work, so that new people can work independently sooner. One in five AI applications has been scaled widely.
| Month | Publications |
|---|---|
| December 2025 | 2 |
| January 2026 | 1 |
| February 2026 | 0 |
| March 2026 | 0 |
| April 2026 | 0 |
| May 2026 | 1 |
| June 2026 | 1 |
| July 2026 | 0 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 1 |
| October 2026 | 0 |
| November 2026 | 0 |
updated · 6 publications
All publications on from pilot to practice
This list shows every publication on this theme, including those not (yet) part of a briefing. Choose a period; a title opens the publication at its source.
- Building the bridge as you cross it – a process evaluation of the implementation of a clinically integrated living lab in Swedish public primary care (opens the publication in a new window)From pilot to practiceAdoption
- AI in Manufacturing 2026: From pilot value to scaled industrial impact (opens the publication in a new window)From pilot to practiceBriefing: Agent-washing and the cost and value of agent projectsBriefing: The technician shortage in manufacturing and AI in onboarding
- Are projects ready for AI — or for the value it generates? (opens the publication in a new window)From pilot to practiceAdoptionBriefing: GenAI pilots, productivity gains and the bottom line
- The GenAI Divide: State of AI in Business 2025 (opens the publication in a new window)From pilot to practiceAdoptionBriefing: GenAI pilots, productivity gains and the bottom line
- Gartner Predicts Over 40% of Agentic AI Projects Will Be Canceled by End of 2027 (opens the publication in a new window)AI agentsFrom pilot to practiceBriefing: Agent-washing and the cost and value of agent projects
No publication matches this combination. Choose a longer period or clear a filter.