And Then There’s Reality

Big promises meet complicated systems and tight budgets. David Linthicum cuts through the hype to explain what works, what doesn't and why.

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    Column // And Then There’s Reality

    IT skills shortage often a complexity problem in disguise

    Could your IT skills shortage be a problem of your own making? Dave Linthicum argues that companies sometimes make their technology jobs harder to fill than they need to be.

    By David Linthicum • Oct. 28, 2026
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    And Then There’s Reality

    The AI happy path is easy, but enterprise reality isn’t

    David Linthicum says the AI happy path ends where enterprise reality begins. CIOs must design for messy data, exceptions and failure before production.

    Oct. 19, 2026
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    Opinion // And Then There’s Reality

    Exception handling in AI: The silent killer of enterprise deployments

    AI systems can fail without throwing errors. CIOs need deterministic checks, escalation paths and telemetry to catch plausible but wrong outputs before they compound.

    By David Linthicum • Oct. 12, 2026
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    Opinion // And Then There’s Reality

    AI makes workers faster -- and reviewers busier

    AI productivity gains can disappear when review, verification and exception handling pile up elsewhere. CIOs need to measure the downstream work, not just the initial speed.

    By David Linthicum • Oct. 5, 2026
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    Opinion // And Then There’s Reality

    AI productivity metrics are fooling enterprises

    Faster drafts, more code and higher adoption can look like AI productivity. David Linthicum argues CIOs should measure end-to-end outcomes, quality and hidden rework instead.

    By David Linthicum • Sept. 28, 2026
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    Opinion // And Then There’s Reality

    The quiet rise of AI technical debt

    AI technical debt can hide in prompts, data, models and workflows. David Linthicum explains why CIOs need production discipline before pilots scale.

    By David Linthicum • Sept. 21, 2026
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    Opinion // And Then There’s Reality

    Why enterprise AI fails at the org chart, not the model layer

    AI models are easy to access. Organizational authority is not. David Linthicum explains why the org chart -- not the model layer -- keeps enterprise AI from delivering.

    By David Linthicum • Sept. 15, 2026
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    Opinion // And Then There’s Reality

    Who owns the workflow? Why enterprises are managing the wrong thing

    Enterprises manage applications well but often lack owners for cross-functional workflows. AI automation reveals that application ownership alone doesn't ensure business outcomes.

    By David Linthicum • July 30, 2026