A recent MIT study on generative AI found 95% of AI pilot programs fail to deliver measurable impact. The research, The GenAI Divide: State of AI in Business 2025, published by MIT’s NANDA initiative, was based on 150 interviews with leaders, a survey of 350 employees, and an analysis of 300 public AI deployments.
The study said the core issue wasn’t the quality of the AI models, but rather the learning gap for both tools and organisations and flawed integration. The data also showed that half of enterprise generative AI budgets are spent on sales and marketing tools. Yet, MIT found the most significant ROI in back-office automation - eliminating typically admin-heavy tasks.
What’s behind successful AI deployments?
The study says buying AI tools from specialised vendors and building partnerships succeeds about 67% of the time, while internal enterprise builds succeed about 33% of the time.
Empowering managers to drive adoption was another success factor. This one certainly resonates with us, as our experience has shown that advocacy from leaders is a critical success measure in change management.
Shadow AI
The study also highlights the widespread use of “shadow AI” - unsanctioned tools like ChatGPT, whose use by employees at work could be in breach of information and data security policies and obligations.
Be part of the 5% that succeed
We experimented with the best way to incorporate generative AI into the Yarno platform for over two years. We viewed AI in the same way as any feature we choose to focus time and effort on - it has to deliver value for our customers.
In addition, over the past few years, we have heard from customers that content creation has been a significant pain point and barrier to getting the most out of Yarno. Customer admins often juggle multiple competing responsibilities, and crafting considered and impactful microlearning content requires focused time and attention.
In our own customer research, we heard that some admins were using ChatGPT to draft training content. Yet it didn’t produce the high-quality content they’d come to expect from Yarno and wasn’t in the correct format.
Enter Yarno AI
So we identified this pain point as one to solve with AI. After extensive experimentation and research, we released Yarno AI in early 2025. It’s a tool that’s integrated into our content creation workflow. The admin adds a topic and key information to include, and Yarno AI drafts campaign-ready questions ready to be reviewed and added.
Customers are now creating Yarno content up to 80% faster than previously. This means they can launch campaigns more quickly to their workforce and have more time to focus on areas where they can add the most value. Win-win!
“Yarno AI has resulted in an 80% reduction in microlearning content creation time—it's a game-changer!"
Chris Tan - Head of Winning Academy
Winning Group
"Yarno AI has been a game-changer for us. I feed in the content from our monthly toolbox talks, and in minutes, it generates five sharp, relevant refresher questions for our drivers. It’s easy, it’s fast, and it saves me a heap of time. What used to take me hours now takes minutes – without compromising on quality or impact.”
Shane Tucker - GM Safety, Risk and Compliance
Ron Finemore Transport
We’ve seen first-hand the challenges in integrating AI into workflows and the significant benefits when it works. Contact us today to get the most out of your AI-powered learning.
