Above the Noise

Most AI advice comes from people who've never had to ship the thing. This first episode is the practitioner's read — from someone who builds enterprise AI for a living. The tested take on what's real, what's hype, and what to actually do. Case in point: the "autonomous agentic workforce" you're being sold is a roadmap slide, not a 2026 reality — and here are the receipts.This episode of Above the Noise — the unbiased AI brief for enterprise leaders:News Brief: Google's flagship launch was the cheaper model — the frontier race quietly became a price war · Every major vendor (IBM, ServiceNow/Accenture, Cognizant) pivoted to selling "agents in production + governance" — aka the cleanup crew for agents that didn't deliver.Deep Dive — Agentic AI, hype vs. ships: Agents work in narrow lanes (one health system cut documentation time 42%). But Gartner says 40%+ of agentic projects get canceled by 2027, Deloitte says only 21% have mature governance, and MIT says 95% of GenAI pilots show no measurable return. What to actually do about it.Expose a Lie: "AI agents will replace your team this year." Steelmanned, then dismantled with evidence and production experience — and why it persists.The question to sit with: Of every AI initiative in your org — how many would survive "show me the line on the P&L where this shows up"?No vendors. No hype. Just the signal.👉 Follow Above the Noise wherever you listen — a new episode every two weeks. If it was useful, share it with one leader who's tired of guessing, and leave a rating so more people find it. Between episodes, find Shaun on LinkedIn.🔗 Show Notes & SourcesEvery stat in this episode is sourced. Check the work yourself:News BriefGoogle debuts new AI models, personal AI agents to keep pace with OpenAI and Anthropic (CNBC, May 19 2026)How Google plans to win the AI war (Axios, May 21 2026)Think 2026: IBM Delivers the Blueprint for the AI Operating Model (IBM Newsroom, May 5 2026)ServiceNow and Accenture Launch Forward Deployed Engineering Program to Scale Agentic AI (Accenture, 2026)Cognizant Launches Secure AI Services to Help Enterprises Safely Scale Agentic Systems (Cognizant, May 7 2026)Deep Dive — Agentic AI: hype vs. shipsGartner Predicts Over 40% of Agentic AI Projects Will Be Canceled by End of 2027 (Gartner, June 25 2025)Gartner Warns of Agent Washing Risks in Supply Chain Planning Technology Market (Gartner, May 20 2026)The State of AI in the Enterprise 2026 (Deloitte)Agentic AI is scaling faster than guardrails (Deloitte Insights)MIT report: 95% of generative AI pilots at companies are failing (Fortune, Aug 18 2025)Agentic AI Reaches Tipping Point: 100% of Enterprises Plan to Expand Adoption in 2026 (CrewAI survey via Business Wire, Feb 11 2026)Enterprise AI adoption in 2026: Why 79% face challenges despite high investment (Writer)Expose a Lie — "AI agents will replace your team this year"Gartner: Over 40% of Agentic AI Projects Canceled by End of 2027 (Gartner, June 25 2025)Agent Washing: Disclosure Risks in the Emerging Market for AI Agents (Harvard Law Forum / Debevoise, Apr 16 2026)MIT report finds 95% of enterprises see no return on generative AI (Digital Commerce 360, Aug 25 2025)Background / Context2026 Hype Cycle for Agentic AI (Gartner)Agentic AI Statistics 2026: Global Enterprise Adoption (Accelirate)Topics covered: enterprise AI, agentic AI, AI agents, AI hype, AI ROI, AI governance, build vs buy, agent washing, Gartner, MIT, Deloitte, Google Gemini, IBM watsonx, CIO, enterprise leadershipHost: Shaun Gehring — engineering leader who builds enterprise AI and sells nothing. Opinions his own.