Welcome to Odyssey Alive
Step into a space where AI builds capability, not dependency. Where automation fits how you actually work.
The Brief
This article introduces Odyssey Alive's consulting philosophy: building AI automation that clients own and understand, rather than creating dependency on outside experts. It explains why most AI deployments fail and how transferring capability to the client changes outcomes.
- Why do most AI deployments fail?
- According to NTT DATA, 70-85% of generative AI deployments fail to meet their ROI targets. The World Economic Forum identifies the 'black box problem' as a key factor: when users cannot understand how a system reaches its conclusions, they stop trusting it and eventually abandon it.
- What does Odyssey Alive do differently from other AI consultants?
- Odyssey Alive builds systems the client owns and understands. The goal is that when the consultant leaves, the capability stays. Automation is designed to fit how people actually work and to make existing expertise more valuable rather than obsolete.
- What does the name Odyssey Alive mean?
- The name reflects a philosophy. 'Odyssey' acknowledges that organizational change is not a straight line but a journey full of detours and discoveries. 'Alive' is a reminder that technology exists to serve living, breathing organizations, not the other way around.
The question came near the end of a discovery call last year. We'd spent an hour talking through workflows, pain points, the usual. Then she paused.
"What happens when you leave?"
Not hostile. Just honest. She'd been through this before. A consultant with impressive tools and confident promises. Something got built. It worked. Everyone celebrated. Then the consultant moved on to the next client, and slowly, imperceptibly, things started to break.
No one knew how to fix it. No one understood why it worked in the first place. The documentation was either missing or incomprehensible. What was supposed to be transformation became a new kind of dependency.
The destination matters. So does knowing how to get there yourself.
The Key Stays With You
Seventy percent of AI deployments fail to meet their ROI targets.1 The World Economic Forum calls it the black box problem: when users can't understand how a system reaches its conclusions, they stop trusting it.2 Systems people don't trust are systems that eventually get abandoned.
But here's what I've learned: the organizations that succeed aren't the ones with the fanciest tools. They're the ones who understand what was built and can evolve it after the consultant leaves.
So that's what I build for.
Systems you own and understand. Automation that fits how your people actually work, not how a vendor wishes they worked. Tools that make your existing expertise more valuable, not obsolete.
When I leave, the capability stays. The key stays with you.
The Name
"Odyssey Alive" started as a placeholder and became a philosophy.
An odyssey isn't a straight line. It's the long way around, full of detours and discoveries and the occasional monster. The journey matters as much as the destination.
"Alive" is the reminder that technology exists to serve living, breathing organizations. Not the other way around.
Every organization is on its own odyssey. I'm here to help keep it moving.
Ready to build something that actually fits how you work? Start a conversation.
References
Footnotes
-
NTT DATA (2024). "Between 70-85% of GenAI deployment efforts are failing to meet their desired ROI." NTT DATA Insights ↩
-
World Economic Forum (2024). "Building trust in AI means moving beyond black-box algorithms." WEF Stories ↩
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