Why AI Implementations Fail – and How PEOPLE Can Fix It | Barry Eustance & Mark Blackwell
Barry Eustance, Founder of The Sixsess Consultancy, joins Mark Blackwell, Partner at Arkaro Consulting (Geneva), to explore one of the most revealing findings in the current AI landscape – why up to 95% of AI implementations fail.
Drawing on evidence from Gartner, Kotter International, Hilary Scarlett’s neuroscience-based framework and Julie Hodges' People-centric Organizational Change, Barry and Mark discuss how the failure of AI adoption isn’t primarily about technology – it’s about people.
They examine the link between the PEOPLE Change Management and Leadership Framework (The Sixsess Consultancy) and Hilary Scarlett’s S-P-A-C-E-S model (Neuroscience of Organisational Change).
Both show how success depends on human factors – self-esteem, purpose, autonomy, certainty, equity, and social connection.
Key discussion points:
- Why between 70% and 95% of AI projects fail to meet objectives.
- How leadership misunderstanding and “corporate FOMO” drive poor implementation.
- The neuroscience of resistance to change and how to mitigate it.
- How PEOPLE-centric leadership enables sustainable, effective AI adoption.
- The link between PEOPLE and S-P-A-C-E-S – and why alignment matters.
Barry and Mark explain:
- AI is not the enemy. Mismanaged change is.
- To succeed, organisations must focus on the PEOPLE who use AI, not just the systems that deliver it.
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction to Change Management Frameworks
3:00 AI Implementation Challenges
6:00 The S-P-A-C-E-S Framework
9:00 AI and Organisational Strategy
12:00 The Importance of People-Centric Leadership
15:00 Empowerment and Optimisation in AI
18:00 Purpose-Driven Vision and Learning
21:00 Conclusion and Future Topics
Links:
The Sixsess Consultancy Home: https://sixsess.org
PEOPLE Change Management & Leadership Framework Course: https://sixsess.org/training/people-change-management-leadership-framework-course/
Arkaro Consulting – Why AI Implementations Fail (Neuroscience Perspective): https://arkaro.com/why-ai-implementations-fail-neuroscience/
MIT Research Shows What We've Been Saying: Why 95% of AI Implementations Fail
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/mit-research-shows-what-weve-been-saying-why-95-ai-implementations-v8fuf/?trackingId=aWmCE23hSOaaMSIcn6Yk6A%3D%3D
Hilary Scarlett’s Neuroscience of Organization Change:
https://www.koganpage.com/hr-learning-development/neuroscience-for-organizational-change-9781398621282
Julie Hodges’ People-centric Organizational Change and Managing and Leading People through Organizational Change:
https://www.koganpage.com/authors/julie-hodges
Keywords:
AI Implementation Failure, The Sixsess Consultancy, Barry Eustance, Mark Blackwell, Arkaro Consulting, PEOPLE Change Management and Leadership Framework, Hilary Scarlett, S-P-A-C-E-S Framework, Organisational Change, AI Adoption, Change Management, Leadership and AI, Neuroscience of Change, Organisational Culture, Employee Engagement, Purpose-Driven Leadership, People-Centric Change, Technology Strategy, Cultural Transformation, Change Leadership, AI Strategy

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Barry