Large corporations are increasingly avoiding the term “pilot” when discussing artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives, as the word has come to signal stalled progress rather than innovation. While companies continue to promote their AI ambitions, references to “pilots” on earnings calls fell about 18% in the fourth quarter of 2025 compared with the prior quarter, according to AlphaSense. Once viewed positively by investors as a sign of experimentation and early adoption, AI pilots are now often associated with projects that fail to scale or deliver measurable financial impact. A 2025 MIT study found that 95% of enterprise AI pilots did not produce meaningful financial results, reinforcing skepticism and giving rise to phrases like “Pilot Purgatory” to describe initiatives that never move beyond testing. Executives at companies such as AT&T and Bristol-Myers Squibb say they prefer terms like “proof of concept” or “development plan,” emphasizing that their AI efforts are tied directly to business value and deployment rather than small-scale trials. They argue that pilots can become low-risk exercises that avoid meaningful change. Some leaders, including New York Life’s CIO, still defend the concept of pilots but acknowledge the negative perception. The broader shift reflects growing investor pressure for companies to move beyond experimentation and demonstrate tangible returns from AI investments.
