From AI Enthusiasm to Execution: A Practical Enterprise AI Framework for 2025

Artificial intelligence has become the corporate obsession of 2025 — simultaneously promising transformational gains and producing widespread paralysis at the point of first step, argues Chris Badenhorst of Braintree as organisations struggle to move from enthusiasm to execution.

Overview​

Artificial intelligence is no longer a niche experiment reserved for a few centres of excellence; it is now a boardroom priority. Executives routinely describe AI as mission-critical, yet many organisations remain stuck at the starting line — unsure how to prioritize use cases, how much to spend, or how to protect sensitive data while extracting value. The gap between belief and everyday practice is measurable: surveys and vendor studies show high intent and uneven operational adoption, a market projection that continues to accelerate, and analyst commentary warning of both consolidation and fragmentation in the ecosystem. (globenewswire.com, techtarget.com, blogs.microsoft.com, iol.co.za, engineerit.co.za, techcommunity.microsoft.com, Changing the AI narrative from confusion to clarity