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As we enter 2026, the AI landscape has fundamentally shifted. The year just concluded wasn't merely another chapter in the AI story—it marked an inflection point where strategic clarity began separating leaders from followers. With 88% of AI pilots still failing to reach production and 42% of companies abandoning generative AI projects entirely, the gap between investment and readiness has become impossible to ignore.
December's articles capture this moment from multiple angles. The maturity mirage reveals why organisations consistently overestimate their AI readiness, whilst the emergence of AI as a grid actor demonstrates how infrastructure constraints are reshaping strategic possibilities. Perhaps most significantly, we're witnessing a return to traditional AI approaches as organisations discover that not every problem requires a large language model—sometimes proven machine learning techniques deliver faster, more reliable results.
The year-end retrospective identifies five inflections that changed the strategic calculus: the accountability awakening, energy sovereignty pressures, the pilot-to-production crisis, regulatory divergence, and the multi-speed adoption reality. Together, these shifts demand that Boards move beyond experimentation towards systematic governance and sustainable value creation.
If your time is limited, I particularly recommend the year-end retrospective, which synthesises the lessons of 2025 into actionable frameworks for the year ahead. Understanding these inflections provides essential context for your 2026 AI strategy.
How is your organisation addressing the gap between AI investment and genuine strategic readiness as you plan for the year ahead?
- Mario
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