Most AI pilots are designed to be un‑killable
Essay · Aug 1, 2026 · 11 mo.[sample]
The average pilot I’ve watched die took eleven months to do it. Nobody wrote down what dead looks like.
2 min
Writing[sample]
One essay a month, on real decisionsRecent
Note · Aug 19, 2026
The budget line that tells you whether an AI project is real
Note · Aug 6, 2026
Nobody owns the pilot after the demo day
Note · Jul 28, 2026
What a vendor means when they say the model is improving
I keep a public record of the calls I make, scored when they resolve.
What I'm building
wildfire
The problem isn't that Chicagoans don't care. The problem is that caring has never been connected to power.
From the founder's letter
Wildfire is civic infrastructure — where Chicago organizes itself. Neighbors put what's wrong on the record, decide together, and take it to the person elected to answer. Built so acting on your street takes a minute, not a meeting.
The test
If this fall's launch can't turn curiosity into members who stay, I'll shut it down and write about why. [sample]
[sample] portrait
About
I'm Sergio Patiño — Senior VP at C+R Research in Chicago. I run strategy for a living: margins, unit costs, what to build, what to stop.