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Writer CEO Says Org Change, Not Pilots, Is Enterprise AI's Top Barrier

June 19, 2026 at 01:58 EDT

Sales & Business
AI Agents
Foundation Models

May Habib, co-founder and CEO of Writer, said at the VivaTech x Bloomberg Awards in Paris that the biggest barrier to enterprise generative AI is no longer pilots but how companies restructure their organizations to use AI. The remarks came as part of a conversation marking her receipt of the new Rising Star Award; Bloomberg has published the full discussion as Steinberger, LeCun, Habib on AI Deployment. The award, held for the first time in June 2026, recognizes leaders shaping the future of technology, and Habib's win is framed as a sign that enterprise AI is shifting from proof-of-concept to implementation.

June 18, 2026 · VivaTech × Bloomberg Awards, Paris

"AI-First or AI-Dead": The Enterprise Hurdle Is No Longer the Pilot

Writer CEO May Habib argues that the decisive factor for enterprise AI has shifted from model performance to organizational design — restructuring how companies are built to use AI.

95%+

of corporate generative-AI pilots fail to deliver ROI

$1.9B

valuation at Writer's $200M Series C in 2024

token context window in Palmyra X5

"Proof-of-Concept Purgatory"

Where the 95%+ of pilots stall — and where the few succeed

95%+

stuck / no ROI

<5%

deliver returns

The bottleneck is not the technology — it's organizational structures, processes, and staffing that haven't kept pace.

The Shift Habib Describes

From proof-of-concept to operating-model restructuring

Pilot / proof-of-concept

→

CIO as change-management leader

→

"AI-first" operating model

Flagship Model · Palmyra X5

Released April 28, 2025 · 1M-token context · supports Amazon Bedrock

Input price

$0.60 /1M tokens

Output price

$6.00 /1M tokens

Hybrid transformer with adaptive reasoning · text & image input · built-in RAG · sub-second tool calls · available via Agent Builder (beta), no-code, API, and Amazon Bedrock.

What's working

Agent-driven multi-step automation is narrowing the gap from idea to execution — across product docs, financial research, and clinical-trial support, for firms like Accenture, Prudential, Vanguard, Mars, and Uber.

What still blocks ROI

Without a layer that teaches AI a company's best practices, returns stay uneven — and putting too many humans in the loop can impede scaling.

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