A pilot is a question, not a small product

The best pilot is not the smallest product you can build. It is the smallest experiment that still exposes the uncertainty capable of killing the idea.

Pilots become dangerous when they acquire a second job: prove that the project deserves to scale. Episode 3 reframes the pilot as a decision instrument rather than a miniature product. Berk Bayri looks at polished demos, dirty data, whole-workflow measurement, stop criteria, governance and the politics of sponsorship. The central idea is simple: a successful pilot is one that leaves the organization knowing something important it did not know before — even when that knowledge is “do not continue.” Featuring a short excerpt from Jeff Bezos on the difference between experimental failure and operational failure.

References

UK Government / Behavioural Insights Team, AI-Assisted vs Human-Only Evidence Review: Results from a Comparative Study (published 2025). The AI-assisted review was completed 23% faster overall, with large time savings in analysis and synthesis but more time required for revisions. The authors explicitly caution that this is a case study and not broadly generalisable.

NIST, AI Risk Management Framework. The voluntary framework is designed to incorporate trustworthiness considerations into the design, development, use and evaluation of AI systems. NIST’s current site notes that AI RMF 1.0 is under revision and that a Critical Infrastructure Profile concept note was released in April 2026.

NIST, Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework: Generative Artificial Intelligence Profile (NIST-AI-600-1). Used as background for lifecycle risk, evaluation and governance considerations specific to generative AI.