---
title: "Why small businesses' AI projects fail and how to avoid the pitfalls — Marsanne Studio AI watch"
description: "A consultant explains why AI projects fail in Mexican SMEs, citing studies on the lack of professional judgement and the failure of agents."
url: "https://marsanne.studio/en/ai-watch/why-small-businesses-ai-projects-fail-and-how-to-avoid-the-b7ae93/"
lang: "en"
---

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Opinion · 22 September 2026

# Why small businesses' AI projects fail and how to avoid the pitfalls

**Publication**

Mexico Business News (Mexico)

**Author**

Unsigned

**Published on**

22 September 2026 · read in the page structured data

## Summary

Sebastián Romo, a consultant who specialises in supporting SMEs, analyses AI deployment failures in small businesses, starting from the case of a poorly configured chatbot. He cites the OECD (31% of SMEs using generative AI among 5,000 companies in seven countries), the US Chamber of Commerce with Teneo (68% of US small businesses use AI on an ad hoc basis), and RAND (80.3% of enterprise AI projects fail to deliver the promised value). Drawing on a census of 839 AI training programmes in Spanish, he points out that only 8.9% teach the professional judgement needed to evaluate AI outputs, compared with 44% focused on technical use. He cites Gartner, which forecasts that more than 40% of agentic AI projects will be cancelled by the end of 2027, and identifies five high-potential uses for small businesses: first-line customer service, operational content, internal documentation, administrative support, and standardised quotes.

Summary based on the full text of the article.

[Read the article on Mexico Business News →](https://mexicobusiness.news/professional-services/news/why-small-business-ai-projects-fail-and-how-avoid-pitfalls)

## Figures cited

-   31 %
    
    share of SMEs using generative AI in the OECD survey
    
    5,000+ SMEs in seven countries, 2025
    
    > « The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) surveyed more than 5,000 small and medium-sized businesses across seven countries in 2025: 31% use generative AI. »
    
    Source: OCDE
    
-   68 %
    
    share of US small businesses using AI on an ad hoc basis
    
    US small businesses, 2025
    
    > « The US Chamber of Commerce, together with Teneo, reported that same year that 68% of American small businesses use AI, but mostly ad hoc, to draft an email or summarize a document, with no strategy and no usage policy. »
    
    Source: US Chamber of Commerce et Teneo
    
-   80.3 %
    
    share of enterprise AI projects that fail to deliver the promised value
    
    enterprise AI projects
    
    > « RAND documented that 80.3% of enterprise AI projects fail to deliver the value promised. »
    
    Source: RAND
    
-   8.9 %
    
    share of AI training programmes in Spanish that teach professional judgement
    
    839 AI training programmes in Spanish
    
    > « Only 8.9% teaches the professional judgment needed to evaluate whether what the machine produced is actually any good. »
    
-   44 %
    
    share of AI training programmes focused on tool use
    
    839 AI training programmes in Spanish
    
    > « Of that offering, 44% teaches how to use the tool: generate, automate, write prompts. »
    
-   40 %
    
    share of agentic AI projects that will be cancelled by the end of 2027
    
    agentic AI projects
    
    > « Gartner predicts more than 40% of agentic AI projects will be canceled by the end of 2027, and the causes it names don't include model capability: spiraling costs, unclear business value, inadequate risk controls. »
    
    Source: Gartner
    
-   57.3 %
    
    share of companies not using generative AI because it does not suit their type of work
    
    OECD survey
    
    > « In the OECD survey, the top reason for not using generative AI wasn't fear or cost: 57.3% said it doesn't fit the kind of work their company does. »
    
    Source: OCDE
    

## Classification

**Country**

Mexico, United States

**Company size**

SMEs, Micro-businesses

**Industries**

All industries, or industry not specified

**Keywords**

ai project failure, small businesses, ai agents, ai training, customer service, chatbot

Entry written by Marsanne Studio from the cited article, with the help of an AI model (claude-sonnet-5). The rights to the article and its illustrations belong to Mexico Business News. Entry translated from French by Claude Sonnet 5.5.