Why AI Projects Fail (and How to Make Sure Yours Doesn't)

Dates

20th November 2026
12:00pm - 1:00pm

Location:

Online

By Blue Llama
04/11/2026

Most AI projects fail. Depending on whose research you read, somewhere between 70% and 85% never deliver what they set out to, and the surprising part is that it is hardly ever the technology’s fault. It is the business around it.

In this session, Phil de Gruchy of Blue Llama and Kelly Stafford of Clearway Operations walk through the real reasons AI projects stall in businesses like yours, and what to do differently. Kelly brings the operations and process side. Phil brings the practical AI implementation side. Between them you get both halves of the picture: how to get your business ready, and how to make the technology actually land.

What we’ll cover

Picking the tool before the problem – why starting with “we should use AI” is the wrong end, and how to spot where it is genuinely worth it.
Building on a broken process – why AI just automates a mess faster, and what to fix first.
Leaving the people behind – the single biggest reason projects fail, from leadership buy-in to a workforce worried about their jobs.
Skipping the guardrails – data protection, integration, and having an AI policy that keeps you safe rather than exposed.

We’ll keep it practical, with a real example of what “done well” looks like, and plenty of time for your questions at the end.

Who it’s for
Business owners, managing directors and operations leaders who are thinking about AI, or have tried it and found it harder than expected. No technical knowledge needed.

Your hosts

Phil de Gruchy, Managing Director, Blue Llama. Helping Channel Islands businesses put AI to practical use inside the tools they already have.
Kelly Stafford, Clearway Operations. Finds the real constraint in how a business runs, fixes it, and makes it stick.

Format: Live online, around one hour including Q&A. A recording will be shared with everyone who registers.

Details