The AI ROI Trap: Why Most Implementations Fail - and How to Make Yours Succeed.
Thursday 19 February 2026
Starts 17:00 PM
Finishes 18:00 PM
Organized by Algarve Evolution
Venue: Online/Virtual
Address: Online event on your device
- Portugal
About this event
Join the next AIA Meetup with Sam Van Kerckhoven for “The AI ROI Trap: Why Most Implementations Fail — and How to Make Yours Succeed.”
Most AI initiatives don’t fail because the technology is broken, they fail because the “Human OS” isn’t ready. While implementation has become fast and affordable, true integration remains slow and challenging.
In this interactive, live-sketched session, Sam goes beyond the hype to reveal the hidden sinkholes where AI budgets disappear. Through live automation builds and real-time ROI thinking, you’ll learn why the “easy” part of AI is often a trap and how to design a strategy that puts people before pixels.
No slides. No copy-paste.
Just practical strategy and execution for the modern founder.
3 Key Takeaways
✅ The 1:10 Rule of AI Budgeting
Learn why for every €1 you spend on AI tools and licenses, you must invest €10 in process redesign and human training to see a return. We’ll map out the “Iceberg of Integration” to visualize the hidden costs that actually drive value.
✅ Identifying “Digital Dust” Use Cases
Not every task should be automated. You will walk away with a framework to distinguish between “shiny object” AI (tools your team will abandon in a month) and high-impact workflows that solve genuine bottlenecks.
✅ From Implementation to Habit
Tech is a sprint, but adoption is a marathon. We’ll demonstrate how to move past “Pilot Purgatory” by building low-code, no-copy/paste automations that fit seamlessly into your team’s existing habits rather than forcing them to learn a whole new way of working.
📍 Location: Online, via Google Meet link: https://meet.google.com/nbr-pheh-yar
Registration is necessary HERE.
Speaker
Sam was born, then lived for a while, then started messing with IT and pondering the nature of consciousness and free will until 28 years later, ChatGPT came around and changed his whole outlook on human intelligence. As a Solution Architect working in and with teams, Sam focus on how technology helps us (and how it doesn’t).
About us
🧠 AIA — Artificial Intelligence Algarve
Founded by Algarve Evolution, AIA — Artificial Intelligence Algarve is a community dedicated to exploring and advancing the future of AI in the Algarve region.
🚀 Algarve Evolution
We nurture the ecosystem for startups and entrepreneurs to create global solutions from the Algarve.
🌐 Algarve Tech Hub
A regional initiative founded and promoted collaboratively by Algarve Evolution, Algarve STP, and University of the Algarve, representing stakeholders from corporate, academia and public institutions, to advance the Algarve as a global, competitive and vibrant hub for companies, institutions, entrepreneurs, and investors.
See you there!
🌐 Algarve Evolution & AIA team
This page last updated Thursday 12 February 2026 at 14:33.
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