The Architecture of Trust: Building AI Projects That Deliver ROI
Proposed session for SQLBits 2026TL; DR
AI projects often fall short of ROI or damage reputations. We'll unpack real risks—data quality gaps, unclear success criteria, governance blind spots—and share practical strategies for scoping, communication & stakeholder alignment for sustainable outcomes.
Session Details
AI and ML projects promise transformative value, but too often, they fall short of ROI expectations or create long lasting damage to a company's reputation. In this session, we’ll unpack the real risks behind AI initiatives, from data quality gaps and unclear success criteria to governance blind spots and a complete disconnect from business priorities. Through real-world examples of where things go wrong, we’ll identify the patterns that derail ROI and trust. You’ll learn practical strategies for scoping, communication, and stakeholder alignment to help clients and teams navigate the path toward sustainable, business-driven AI outcomes without succumbing to the hype cycle noise.
3 things you'll get out of this session
Learn why GenAI implementations fail more often than not, and better ways to approach that are safe and support ROI
Speakers
Leslie Welch's other proposed sessions for 2026
Building Community In Tech - Lessons from the Power BI DC User Group - 2026
Challenging the Norm: An Agile Approach to Data Visualization - 2026
It's Only a Model - Demystifying Row Level Security in Power BI - 2026
Semantic Model Ideation for Power BI - 2026