Enterprise AI budgets rise as pilots stall

Madrona’s survey of 150 enterprise decision-makers finds 74% plan to expand AI budgets, but 83% convert fewer than half of pilots to production and 77% re-evaluate AI vendors at least every six months. The full report says integration complexity and security/compliance are the top pilot killers, while TechCrunch’s summary highlights the resulting “fast in, fast out” revenue cycle. Buyers should demand measurable renewal evidence instead of mistaking an expanding AI budget for a durable vendor contract; the archive’s AI earnings-gap analysis shows why production value still needs proof.