Episode
Why Most AI Initiatives Are Failing Before They Start (Ascendion CCO, Arun Varadarajan)
- Published
- May 13, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3795
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- http://www.benfanning.com/theceosessions/arun-ascendion
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Summary
Getting AI Wrong Arun Varadarajan, Chief Commercial Officer at Ascendion, reframed how I think about why so many AI initiatives are failing. “90% of projects fail because people don’t spend enough time defining the problem.” Not because the technology failed or the team wasn’t smart enough. It's because leaders started building BEFORE they got clear on what actually needed to change. So what looked like AI progress was really just motion without transformation. And once leaders DO identify the real problem, many still don’t move boldly enough to create meaningful change. They get stuck in pilots. Experiments. Incremental improvements. But never challenge the “untouchable” systems and ways of working that have existed for years. And when that happens, the real transformational impact of AI never materializes. The organization just falls further behind while thinking it’s making progress. Arun shares with us the leadership conviction and organizational courage to get AI right. Where do you think most organizations are still getting AI wrong? ----- Follow Arun on Linkedin Learn more about Ascendion ----- Connect with the Host, #1 bestselling author Ben Fanning Speaking and Training inquires Subscribe to my Youtube channel LinkedIn Instagram Twitter