Library · 28 October 2026 · 14 min read
Why AI Pilots Stall in a Record Funding Year: The Data Gap, Oct 2026
Leaders say they are more confident about AI, and funding is at record levels. So why do so many pilots stall? We read four reports side by side to find out.
73%
of US leaders at $1B+ organisations are confident in their AI governance, up from 57% a quarter earlier
KPMG
70%
of organisations cannot effectively track the lifecycle of the data used in their AI models
Iron Mountain / Vanson Bourne
~80%
of Q3 venture funding came from rounds of $100M or more
CB Insights
These three figures come from different reports. The paper puts them side by side and shows what they say together.
What you will take away
- If you invest: why record funding and stalled pilots can both be true, and which companies the gap favours.
- If you run a business: a quick way to see what you can and cannot show about the data behind your AI, and a ladder for deciding how much authority to give it.
- If you read AI surveys: a way to put reports that measure different things side by side, so the headline numbers make sense together.