Today in Tech

Pega’s Alan Trefler: Why most AI projects fail | Ep. 246

Today in Tech

Show Notes

Artificial intelligence is powerful, but are businesses using it the wrong way? In this episode of Today in Tech, host Keith Shaw sits down with Alan Trefler, Founder and CEO of Pega, to discuss why so many AI projects are failing and how companies can still unlock real value from generative AI and agentic AI.

Alan shares why organizations confuse design-time AI (for creativity and planning) with run-time AI (for execution and reliability), and why that mistake leads to unscalable, risky, and sometimes embarrassing outcomes. From failed AI pilots to the hype around agents, Alan breaks down:

Why at least 40% of AI projects fail

The dangers of running your business on “prompts”

The three categories of AI every business leader must understand

How workflows, not prompts, create predictability and trust

The future of agentic AI, and how to avoid repeating today’s mistakes

More from Today in Tech

Oct 20, 2026

Companies have spent billions racing to adopt artificial intelligence. But as AI moves from experimentation into production, are businesses discovering that the real costs are much higher than expected?

Oct 6, 2026

AI agents are moving beyond simple chatbots and isolated tasks. The next step is agent-to-agent communication, where AI systems operated by different companies could negotiate, exchange information, make decisions and even conduct business with each other.

Sep 22, 2026

AI was supposed to save us time. Instead, it may be creating a new problem: AI slop (polished-looking emails, reports, presentations, research and code that someone else has to review, fact-check and fix).

Sep 8, 2026

AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and Copilot are spreading rapidly through the workplace, but simply giving employees access to AI isn't the same as teaching them how to use it effectively.

Aug 25, 2026

Hackers are using AI, social engineering, and legitimate business tools to make cyberattacks look like normal work. Instead of breaking through security systems, they study how employees communicate, impersonate trusted vendors, manipulate email conversations, and exploit everyday business processes.

See all episodes →