Forward-Deployed Engineering: The missing operational layer for enterprise AI success
By
Phil Fersht,Saurabh Gupta
Slow-proofed and worth the wait. Worth its weight in flour.
Summary
Enterprise technology leaders are overwhelmed by AI hype but lack the operational backbone to make AI work in production. The article argues that Forward-Deployed Engineering (FDE) is the critical missing layer that wires AI into live systems, governs it in production, and sustains it long-term. Without FDE, organizations are building "AI theater" rather than a functional AI operating model, with 93% of enterprises stuck in AI pilot purgatory as a result.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledIf your transformation strategy does not have it, you are building an AI theater, not an AI operating model.
93% of enterprises are stuck in AI pilot purgatory. The missing layer is not better mo
Who actually wires AI into your live systems, governs it in production, and makes it keep working when the AI software vendors leave the room?
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