Almost every company has tried AI by now. Far fewer can show exactly what they've gained from it. In an article for Digitalk, Lyubomir Ovcharov of Adastra raises the question of strategy, trusted data and measurable results, in other words the difference between a demo and real value.
Rather than retelling the article, we offer a practical framework that we also use in our conversations with clients.
Why pilots often never reach production
- There is no clearly defined problem, just a wish to "use AI".
- The data is scattered, incomplete, or nobody is responsible for it.
- There is no agreement on how success will be measured.
- Nobody owns the solution once the pilot ends.
Five steps from idea to result
- Pick one business metric. For example, time to handle an enquiry, the error rate on invoices, or the number of qualified leads from your website.
- Check your data. Where it comes from, how accurate it is and who maintains it. Without trusted data, AI just makes mistakes faster.
- Start small. One task, one team, a clear deadline.
- Measure before and after. Without a baseline you can't prove any effect.
- Decide who maintains the solution. Models, prompts and integrations need care, just like any other software.
What this looks like for a website
The AI uses that are easiest to measure on a website are often modest: automatically categorising enquiries, helping draft product descriptions that a person then edits, or analysing on-site searches. Measurement is the key. That's why on every project we set up Google Analytics 4 and Search Console so you can see what is actually happening. If you'd like to discuss a specific idea, get in touch.
Related: what the EY barometer shows about AI in Bulgarian business.
Source: Digitalk: AI in real business (in Bulgarian). This article is an independent analysis by Penkov Studio.
