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 & Sources

Every stat in this episode is sourced. Check the work yourself:

News Brief

• Google 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. ships

• Gartner 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 / Context

• 2026 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 leadership

Host: Shaun Gehring — engineering leader who builds enterprise AI and sells nothing. Opinions his own.