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

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