/Field Notes Blog
Notes from the forge.
On AI strategy, implementation, and the distance between a pilot and a system that ships. Written by the people who vet the work.
/The archive
Ashton · Apr 21, 2026
The CEO Who Got Religion
There's a recognizable moment when a skeptic becomes a convert. The mandate becomes real, the urgency is genuine — and almost everything that happens next is wrong.
Ashton · Apr 17, 2026
Can I Really Trust the AI?
The question isn't really "can I trust AI" — it's what is AI trustworthy for, what isn't it, and how do you build the right guardrails for each. The answer to trust is architecture, not faith.
Forge · Apr 14, 2026
Discovery vs. Brief: Two Agency Models and How to Choose
The most common source of failed AI agency engagements isn't a bad agency. It's hiring the wrong type. Two fundamentally different models exist, and most buyers don't know they're choosing between them.
Ashton · Apr 7, 2026
Your AI Is Still an Assistant
There's a reliable way to tell whether a company has adopted AI or just adopted AI tools: ask whether the work has changed. For most companies, the answer is no. Nothing structural has shifted.
Forge · Apr 2, 2026
What Is AI Good At?
AI is genuinely excellent at a specific, bounded set of tasks. Understanding what those tasks are — and why — helps you identify which of your workflows are good candidates for automation and which aren't.
Forge · Mar 31, 2026
The Pilot Graveyard Has a Pattern
AI pilots don't die randomly. The same three causes appear so consistently that the pattern is almost entirely preventable — and almost always missed in the first two weeks of engagement design.
Ashton · Mar 24, 2026
The Assessment That Goes Nowhere
More than 200 AI readiness assessments are available right now. They all end the same way: a score, a PDF, and a button that says "talk to an expert." That button is not a coincidence.
Ashton · Mar 17, 2026
Who Is Ashton & Forge and Why Do We Exist
The AI implementation market has more vendors than it has useful distinctions — and the mid-market leader trying to act on an AI mandate is roughly as exposed as they were before any of it arrived. Here's what we saw, why we built Ashton & Forge, and what we're committed to being and not being.
