Answer
A few patterns show up repeatedly in failed pilots. Giving a model write access to Db2 for i or the ability to trigger a business transaction without a validation or approval step is the single riskiest shortcut, since a wrong output at that point becomes a wrong transaction, not just a bad suggestion. Another common failure is what amounts to a chatbot wrapper around static FAQ content that nobody was struggling to find in the first place, which adds a new system to maintain without solving a real problem. A pilot with no measurable outcome, such as ticket volume reduced, hours saved, or errors caught before they reach production, is also a warning sign, since it will be impossible to tell later whether it actually worked.
A disciplined pilot has a defined kill switch, meaning the team can turn the integration off without disrupting core operations, a named owner accountable for its results, and a review point on the calendar to decide whether it continues, expands, or gets shut down. Buyers should start with internal, low-stakes use cases before anything customer-facing, since internal pilots surface the same failure modes with far lower consequences if something goes wrong.