From Pilot to Production: How to Operate AI at Scale
An Executive Summary – Coastal AI Operations Report 2026
In this research report from Coastal and Oxford Economics, 800 U.S. business and technology executives were surveyed to understand how organizations are approaching AI initiatives that deliver direct business impact—things like automating workflows, improving customer service, supporting sales operations, or streamlining back-office functions.
Many organizations are discovering that the hardest part of AI is not deployment, but sustaining reliability and usefulness in day-to-day operations. Programs often stall not for lack of interest or tools, but because routine requirements—data upkeep, integration reliability, user adoption, and ongoing performance management—compound over time. Internal friction from executives struggling to realize expected ROI and employees who prefer familiar workflows to vetting AI outputs of variable quality also impede these efforts. High-performing organizations don’t leave this to chance, they follow specific steps to keep initiatives on track.
Readers can expect a practical breakdown of the operational factors that separate AI that scales from AI that stalls, including best practices for embedding or automating AI within existing systems, guidance on defining success beyond time saved, and a clear view of how ownership and governance shape performance over time.
The experts behind the research
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Matthew ReynoldsSenior Research Manager, Thought Leadership
Matt manages a broad spectrum of technology-centric Thought Leadership programs, from cloud and software innovation to how organizations can participate in the metaverse. He has led successful programs for dozens of large organizations during his tenure at Oxford Economics, including SAP, PwC, NTT Data, Accenture, IBM, and EY. Matt’s experience gives him deep knowledge of the ins and outs of successful end-to-end program management, and he is an integral part of the Thought Leadership team.
With the organization since 2015, Matt holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from The College of New Jersey. He is scheduled to graduate with an MBA in IT and Analytics at the Rutgers School of Business in May, 2023.
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Aidan O’FarrellResearch Manager, Thought Leadership
Aidan joined the Oxford Economics team in 2023 to support the Thought Leadership technology practice on research programs and project operations. Coming from a product management background, Aidan previously shepherded his growth ops team at a pre-seed tech startup through Series A funding. His prior experience includes extensive work on survey writing, design, coding, and data analysis, and he holds an Honors Bachelor of Arts degree in the History of Science & Technology from Brown University.
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Revan AponsoResearch Associate, Thought Leadership
Revan's research experience covers a variety of areas from venture capital and affordable lending to supply chain logistics and advanced manufacturing. Revan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from New York University, where he also served as a staff writer for the university's Economics Review.
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