‘Close to zero’: 4 AI chiefs say no companies have truly changed in response to AI—blame ‘politics projects’

Artificial intelligence has become a major focus for businesses, but few large organizations have made the deeper operational changes needed to place it at the center of how they work.

That is the assessment of the technology chief at one of the world’s largest consulting firms. The executive said companies have generally not rebuilt their core operations around AI, despite the attention the technology has received.

AI interest has not translated into fundamental change

The observation highlights a gap between corporate interest in artificial intelligence and changes to underlying business operations. Companies may be pursuing AI initiatives, but the source does not indicate that these efforts have resulted in broad redesigns of their core activities.

The comments also suggest that the impact of AI should not be judged only by the number of projects organizations announce. A project may exist without changing how a company is structured or how its main operations are carried out.

Blame is not the immediate answer

The technology executive also argued that businesses should not yet spend too much energy assigning blame when AI projects fail or fall short. The original headline describes some initiatives as “politics projects,” pointing to the internal dynamics that can surround corporate AI efforts.

For companies, the central issue remains whether AI initiatives lead to meaningful operational change. Based on the assessment provided, that shift has been limited so far, leaving most large organizations at an early stage of adapting their core operations to artificial intelligence.

What comes next

The outlook remains focused on execution rather than blame. Organizations will need to determine whether their AI work affects core operations, rather than treating isolated projects as evidence of full business transformation.