Field notes

Notes from the
AI frontline.

Practical thinking on applied AI — for the executives and teams deciding what to build, buy and trust. No hype, no jargon, just what we’re learning by shipping it.

DAS Labs AR engine-diagnostics overlay — putting an AI agent into production
★ Featured · Engineering

What it really takes to put an AI agent into production

The demo is the easy 20%. We break down the unglamorous engineering — tools, guardrails, evals and observability — that separates an agent that impresses from one you can actually depend on.

Back-office automation pipeline illustrating WellSky integration automation moving verified data between home-health systems
Engineering

WellSky Integration Automation: Patterns for Home-Health Ops

WellSky integration automation is a governed pipeline, not an AI guessing at your EMR. Patterns for home-health ops t...

Diagram of the diagnostic-first home health agency automation sequence: map, score ROI, automate deterministically, govern, measure
Strategy

Home Health Agency Automation: Why Most Agencies Fail Before They Start

Why home health agency automation projects fail — and the map-first approach that actually automates scheduling, comp...

Team reviewing a workflow diagram with warning indicators — 95% of AI pilots fail when teams skip mapping the work first
Strategy

95% of AI Projects Fail — Here’s What the Other 5% Do Differently

MIT says 95% of AI pilots produce no profit. Here’s what the successful 5% do before writing a single line of code.

Successful AI agent deployment with governance harness and maintenance workflow
Strategy

What a Successful AI Agent Deployment Actually Looks Like

Most agent projects fail not because the model is wrong, but because nobody maintains the system around it.

Leadership team and clinician reviewing AI governance framework documents in a boardroom
Governance

AI Governance for Regulated Industries: What Your Board Needs to Know

In regulated industries, governance isn’t a roadblock — it’s the accelerator. Here’s what your board needs to understand.

Leadership team turning scattered AI pilots into prioritized ROI initiatives
Strategy

Only 25% of AI Initiatives Hit ROI — Here’s Why

IBM surveyed 2,000+ CEOs and only 25% said their AI initiatives delivered expected ROI. The problem isn’t the technology.

Enterprise AI governance controls and risk management framework
Governance

The Real Failure Mode Isn’t Hallucinations — It’s Governance

Enterprise AI doesn’t fail because models hallucinate. It fails because nobody built the governance layer.

What a fractional CAIO actually does — senior AI leadership for mid-market companies
Leadership

What a Fractional CAIO Actually Does

Senior AI leadership — roadmap, vendor vetting, governance — without a $300K+ full-time hire. What the role actually does.

The $2.59 trillion AI spending reckoning — mapping ROI before investing
Strategy

The $2.59 Trillion AI Spending Reckoning — And How to Make Sure Your Investment Isn’t Wasted

Global AI spending hits $2.59T in 2026. Most of it is failing. Here’s how to make sure yours isn’t.

Enterprise AI leaders converging on discovery-first strategy
Strategy

The Biggest Players in Enterprise AI Just Validated Discovery-First

IBM, Google, Microsoft, AWS, and Celonis all converged on the same thesis: AI fails without organizational context.

Team reviewing process documentation and a flowchart on a whiteboard
Strategy

Don’t automate what you can’t describe

AI investment is not an AI question. It’s a question about the shape of your work — and which of five investment levers fits each workflow.

DAS Labs surgical instrument detection on a mayo tray in the operating room
AI Vision

Computer vision in the operating room: precision over hype

What it actually takes for a vision system to be trusted next to a surgeon — latency, failure modes and the human in the loop.

A fractional Chief AI Officer reviewing AI strategy with the leadership team
Leadership

Do you need a Chief AI Officer? The fractional case

Most mid-size companies need senior AI judgment long before they need a full-time executive. Here’s the math.

Team organizing AI governance priorities on a whiteboard in a modern office
Governance

Governing AI before it governs you

A practical starting point for evaluation, monitoring and policy — without grinding your roadmap to a halt.

Team mapping business processes on a whiteboard before automation
Strategy

Map your processes before you automate them

Automation fails when it paves a broken path. Why the map comes before the build, every time.

CIO evaluating AI vendor options — buy, build, or hybrid approach
Strategy

Buy, build, or both: a CIO’s guide to AI vendors

A clear-eyed framework for deciding what to build in-house, what to buy, and how to avoid lock-in.

AI safety-critical industrial operations monitoring
Industry

AI in safety-critical environments: lessons from the field

What healthcare and nuclear power taught us about shipping AI where failure is not an option.

Security and operations professionals reviewing governance protocols in a data center
Governance

Why MCP Isn’t the Problem — Ungoverned Execution Is

A calendar invite triggered remote code execution in Claude Desktop. Not because of MCP — because of ungoverned execution.

C-suite leader evaluating bespoke versus off-the-shelf computer vision services
Vision

Bespoke vs. Off-the-Shelf Computer Vision Services: What C-Suite Leaders Should Consider

Custom-built or pre-packaged computer vision? The strategic factors C-suite leaders should weigh.

HIPAA compliant AI checklist illustration showing healthcare compliance controls and governance
Governance

What Makes a HIPAA Compliant AI System? A Practical Checklist

What makes a HIPAA compliant AI system: a practical checklist covering BAAs, scoped access, audit trails, and human-i...

Franchise operations AI platform standardizing workflows across multiple locations
Strategy

Franchise Operations AI: Standardizing 50 Locations Without 50 Rebuilds

Franchise operations AI pays off when you standardize the process first, then automate once. How to cover 50 location...

Operations view of a care team schedule where AI helps automate caregiver scheduling within compliance rules
Strategy

How to Automate Caregiver Scheduling Without Breaking Compliance

How to automate caregiver scheduling without breaking compliance: what to gate deterministically, what needs a human,...

Compliance manager and nurse reviewing AI-surfaced flags before making a human approval decision for home care documentation
Governance

Using AI for Home Care Compliance: Where It Helps, Where It's Risky

AI for home care compliance helps on chart audits and documentation review, and is risky on clinical decisions and PH...

Employee using AI-powered training system with adaptive learning interface
Strategy

How Artificial Intelligence Enhances Workplace Training

From adaptive learning paths to immersive simulations, AI is reshaping how organizations train.

Subject-matter expert collaborating with AI software development team
Engineering

Why Industry SMEs are Key for AI Software Development Companies

Subject-matter experts turn AI from a generic tool into a precision instrument for your industry.

Business planning diagram showing AI project scope and pricing tiers
Strategy

Understanding AI Project Pricing: A Guide for Businesses

A practical guide to budgeting for AI projects of varying scope and complexity.

Two paths diverging, representing the choice between custom AI development and off-the-shelf
Strategy

Custom AI Software Development vs. Off-the-Shelf Solutions

When to build bespoke and when off-the-shelf makes more sense for your AI initiative.

AI software development team working through data challenges and model optimization
Engineering

Challenges in AI Software Development and How to Overcome Them

Data scarcity, model interpretability, and concept drift: the real hurdles in AI development.

Visit Ouray app launch showing AI-guided tourism features for outdoor recreation
Engineering

Launch: AI-Powered Visit Ouray Tourism App

DAS Labs and UrWay launch the Visit Ouray app with AI-driven self-guided tours and AR navigation.

Business executive reviewing AI-powered data visualizations enhanced by spatial computing
Strategy

AI and Spatial Computing: Super-Charged Decisions

How AI analytics combined with spatial visualization can power faster, smarter decisions.

UrWay AI-guided tourism app interface showing Ouray, Colorado points of interest
Engineering

AI-Guided Tourism App Development: The Story of UrWay

How DAS Labs built an AI-powered tourism experience for Ouray, Colorado.

Computer vision system interpreting sign language gestures using Google MediaPipe
Vision

Computer Vision for Sign Language: How MediaPipe Interprets ASL

How Google MediaPipe and machine learning are making sign language more accessible.

Facebook and Ray-Ban smart glasses with camera and audio features
News

Facebook Announced Smart Glasses in Partnership with Ray-Ban

Facebook's first smart glasses with Ray-Ban bring camera, audio, and connectivity to everyday eyewear.

Snapchat Connected Lenses enabling shared augmented reality experiences
News

Snapchat Connected Lenses: Real-Time Shared AR Experiences

Snapchat's Connected Lenses let users interact with augmented reality together in real time.

Microsoft Mesh mixed reality platform for business collaboration
News

Microsoft Announces Microsoft Mesh: Mixed Reality for Business

Microsoft Mesh brings holographic collaboration to remote business teams via Azure.

Facebook and Luxottica partnership to develop wearable AR smart glasses
News

Facebook Announces Wearable AR Glasses with Luxottica

Facebook partnered with Luxottica to develop wearable augmented reality smart glasses under Ray-Ban.

Nreal Light consumer AR glasses for everyday augmented reality use
News

Nreal Released Consumer AR Glasses in South Korea

Nreal launched lightweight AR glasses with 6DoF tracking and plans to expand globally.

Microsoft acquisition of Metaswitch 5G technology for AR and mixed reality
News

Microsoft Acquired Metaswitch, a 5G Company That Could Enhance AR

Microsoft's Metaswitch acquisition could strengthen its Azure platform for AR and mixed reality.

Magic Leap AR headset company facing financial struggles and layoffs
News

Magic Leap AR Headset Maker Announced Layoffs

Magic Leap laid off nearly half its workforce amid financial struggles and slowing AR headset sales.

Apple iPad Pro with LiDAR scanner for enhanced augmented reality
News

Apple Released the LiDAR Scanner on the New iPad Pro

Apple's LiDAR scanner adds depth sensing to the iPad Pro for more immersive AR experiences.

Snapchat Cameos augmented reality feature for inserting faces into videos
News

Snapchat Introduced Cameos: AR Face-Insertion Feature

Snapchat's Cameos uses machine learning to insert user faces into short video clips.

Augmented reality navigation overlay on a phone showing Google Maps AR directions
News

Google Introduced AR Navigation for Google Maps

Google Maps overlays AR directions onto the real world using the phone's camera and GPS.

Google acquires Eyefluence eye-tracking technology for AR and VR
News

Google Acquired Eyefluence to Enhance AR Experiences

Google acquired eye-tracking startup Eyefluence to advance its augmented and virtual reality offerings.

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