Enterprise AI procurement has entered its accountability phase
Pilot budgets are being replaced by contracts with measurable service obligations.
Technology DeskPublished today
The experimental phase was funded from innovation budgets and judged on enthusiasm. The current phase is funded from operating budgets and judged on cost per resolved task.
That change in accounting treatment is doing more to discipline the market than any regulation. Vendors are being asked for uptime commitments, evaluation harnesses and indemnity — the ordinary furniture of enterprise software.
The systems surviving this transition tend to be narrow, deeply integrated and boring. The demonstrations that impressed at the pilot stage are largely gone.
Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by the Leaders & Impact editorial desk. Sourcing and factual assertion remain human-owned.