Related question
Is it too late for my company to start with AI?
Short answer
No, but waiting has a cost. Companies that delay end up playing catch-up, which is a difficult position for any executive. The window is still open. What matters more than speed is sequence: a company that starts deliberately in month twelve usually passes one that started randomly in month one.
The media is pushing hype and a lot of talk about a bubble, and business owners are reasonably asking whether the moment has passed. It has not. But timing is a choice with consequences. Not everyone will make the choice, and some will wait long enough that they have to run a catch-up game, which is always a hard place for a CEO to stand.
The more useful question is not whether you are late. It is whether the step you take next is the right one. Published estimates on AI project failure rates vary widely, but every serious source points in the same direction: a large share of initiatives stall or quietly disappear without producing measurable value. That makes the quality of your next decision far more important than its speed.
There is nothing wrong with action. The moment demands it. But action for its own sake is a non-starter. Taking the right path to your AI strategy will significantly improve your odds of capturing an advantage in your industry or service geography, and it costs less than recovering from a failed implementation.