Why the AI economy is like a bad dating app — drowning in decks, pilot purgatory — and it's playing out like the dotcom bubble, except worse
Fortune 50
Amy Webb says corporate AI spending is hitting “pilot purgatory” as companies launch endless generative AI pilots without budgeting for integration, scaling, or measurable workflow change. A Bain & Company survey of 951 global companies found nearly 40% of firms that tracked AI savings landed below 10% versus targets of 11% to 20%, with 90% still increasing AI budgets. The result is more “abundance” that feels productive short term but compounds hidden costs, leading to missed targets and a reckoning that she expects as early as next year.