{"success":true,"data":{"pressRelease":{"id":"35118","rtpr_id":"nPNAW1gvHa","ticker":"IBM","exchange":"NYSE","all_tickers":["IBM"],"title":"A New Way to Make AI Actually Work in the Real World","author":"PR Newswire","published_at":"2026-05-14T13:00:10.070Z","article_body":"A New Way to Make AI Actually Work in the Real World\nPR Newswire\n\nARMONK, N.Y., May 14, 2026\n\nIBM is introducing a delivery model built for the AI era: small, senior teams\nthat rapidly turn strategy into results through hands-on execution\n\nThe following article is authored by Mohamad Ali, Senior Vice President and\nHead of IBM Consulting\n\nARMONK, N.Y., May 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Enterprise AI is at a tipping\npoint. The investment is massive and experimentation is everywhere but\ndeploying quickly remains a challenge. The issue is not the vision nor the\ntechnology. It is the operating model.\n\nFor decades, scale in delivery came from labor. Add more people, get more\noutput. Every commercial model was built on that logic. AI changes the\nequation. Output now depends on an organization's operating model: how well\nteams build and coordinate agents, enforce governance, and turn raw capability\ninto measurable business results. Most enterprise delivery models are still\nbuilt for the labor era.\n\nBut the industry is chasing a job title: \"forward deployed engineer (FDE).\"\nIBM has always had FDEs, including Fellows and Distinguished Engineers,\nembedded directly in client work, and FDEs extend that practice into a\nrepeatable, scaled model. Now, IBM Consulting is launching a new approach for\nhow AI gets delivered called Forward Deployed Units (FDUs). An FDU isn't a\nperson; it's a pod. Humans at the edges with a digital workforce of\nspecialized agents in the middle, handling coding, evaluation, testing and\ndocumentation under human direction. \n\nHuman and Digital working as a team — by design\n\nThe composition is the point. It lets a six-person pod do the work of a\n30-person team at materially better economics, with methods that sharpen with\nevery engagement. It's how AI becomes a scaling factor, not just an assistant.\n\nFDUs are already at work with Riyadh Air, Nestlé, Heineken and Pearson,\nmoving AI from isolated pilots into production at scale. And we are now\ndeploying them at global scale, from Asia Pacific to Europe to the United\nStates, and rapidly increasing the number of FDUs we are putting into the\nfield.\n\nThe rise of the \"forward deployed engineer\" and why it's not enough\n\nRecently, there has been a rapid rise of the FDE. At its best, this role\nblends engineering, consulting and business expertise into one. It's someone\nwho can understand a problem, design a solution, and build it directly in the\nenvironment where it will be used in real time. Enterprises are no longer\nsatisfied with strategy alone and need people who can take AI into production.\nBut focusing on a single role misses the broader issue. The rise of the FDE is\nnot the solution, it is the signal. It shows that the way technology is\ndelivered must change.\n\nThe underlying issue is not about talent; it's systematic. No individual can\nsolve for fragmented data, complex architectures, governance requirements and\nthe need to move from idea to production in days instead of months. What's\nneeded is a delivery model that connects strategy, engineering and business\ncontext into a single system. That's the unlock businesses need and what IBM's\nFDUs are designed to do.\n\nEach team of FDUs is accountable for real business outcomes. They combine\nbusiness domain specialists who rethink processes, architects who connect\nstrategy to execution, and engineers who build and scale solutions. By working\nalongside client teams as an extension of the organization, they change how\nwork gets done. And at their core, they combine people, platforms and AI\nagents into a unified system, where human expertise shapes the work and AI\naccelerates its execution.\n\nTo support this, IBM maintains a dedicated technical career track for FDUs and\nrecruits from top global engineering and technical universities to ensure a\npipeline of the highest-caliber forward‑deployed talent.\n\nFrom projects to continuous execution\n\nTraditional models separate thinking from doing. Strategy is handed off, and\ncontext can be lost. FDUs collapse that model. The same team designs and\nbuilds solutions, and progress is measured in working systems rather than\ndeliverables, which is crucial for constantly evolving agentic AI systems.\nThey require ongoing tuning, governance and integration into live workflows,\nso delivering them is not a one-time project, but continuous execution.\n\nThis is where many approaches can fall short. FDEs can help get systems up and\nrunning, but AI does not stop at go-live. When delivery relies on individual\nroles, there is often pressure to move on after a system has been launched.\nThis creates a gap between implementation and sustained performance.\n\nFDUs are designed to address that disparity. They bring solution development,\nongoing operation and client capability into one model that sustains value\nover time, not only at launch. And because client teams work side-by-side with\nsenior practitioners throughout the engagement—not through handoffs or\npost‑delivery knowledge transfers—they build lasting internal capability\nto operate, evolve and scale AI long after the FDU has left. This turns every\nengagement into both an execution engine and a transformation accelerator.\n\nWhy platform matters as much as talent\n\nEmbedding teams is necessary, but not sufficient. To scale AI, teams need a\nshared foundation that offers speed, consistency and governance.\n\nAt IBM, FDUs run on IBM Consulting Advantage\n(https://www.ibm.com/consulting/advantage), an AI-powered delivery platform\nthat provides reusable assets, AI agents and industry accelerators. It enables\nfaster delivery and repeatability, turning isolated wins into enterprise-wide\nvalue, ensuring that teams don't start from scratch but build on a common,\nscalable system.\n\nThis combination of senior consultants, FDE‑level technical talent and IBM\nConsulting Advantage is something only IBM brings together in one model.\n\nThe next chapter of AI will be defined by execution\n\nThe next phase of AI won't be defined by models alone; it will be defined by\nthe ability to turn them into sustained business value. The conversation is\nalready shifting beyond tools and talent toward delivery systems.\n\nFDEs are part of that story, but they aren't the whole story. Organizations\nthat lead will bring together the right teams, platforms and operating model\ninto a single system. \n\nThat is what we are building with FDUs. It's how we move from experimentation\nto execution, and how we help clients turn AI ambition into real, measurable\noutcomes.\n\nAbout IBM \n\nIBM (NYSE: IBM (https://www.ibm.com/investor)) is a leading provider of global\nhybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than\n175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business\nprocesses, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries.\nThousands of governments and corporate entities in critical infrastructure\nareas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on\nIBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital\ntransformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough\ninnovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and\nconsulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is\nbacked by IBM's long-standing commitment to trust, transparency,\nresponsibility, inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more\ninformation.\n\nMedia contact: \n\nIBM\nElizabeth Brophy\nElizabeth.Brophy@ibm.com\n\nSOURCE IBM\n\n\n\nPhoto: \nhttps://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2319830/IBM_LOGO_1.jpg\n\nCopyright (c) 2026 PR Newswire Association,LLC. All Rights Reserved.","article_body_html":"","raw_payload":{"data":{"id":"nPNAW1gvHa","title":"A New Way to Make AI Actually Work in the Real World","author":"PR Newswire","ticker":"IBM","created":"2026-05-14T13:00:10.070Z","tickers":["IBM"],"exchange":"NYSE","article_body":"A New Way to Make AI Actually Work in the Real World\nPR Newswire\n\nARMONK, N.Y., May 14, 2026\n\nIBM is introducing a delivery model built for the AI era: small, senior teams\nthat rapidly turn strategy into results through hands-on execution\n\nThe following article is authored by Mohamad Ali, Senior Vice President and\nHead of IBM Consulting\n\nARMONK, N.Y., May 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Enterprise AI is at a tipping\npoint. The investment is massive and experimentation is everywhere but\ndeploying quickly remains a challenge. The issue is not the vision nor the\ntechnology. It is the operating model.\n\nFor decades, scale in delivery came from labor. Add more people, get more\noutput. Every commercial model was built on that logic. AI changes the\nequation. Output now depends on an organization's operating model: how well\nteams build and coordinate agents, enforce governance, and turn raw capability\ninto measurable business results. Most enterprise delivery models are still\nbuilt for the labor era.\n\nBut the industry is chasing a job title: \"forward deployed engineer (FDE).\"\nIBM has always had FDEs, including Fellows and Distinguished Engineers,\nembedded directly in client work, and FDEs extend that practice into a\nrepeatable, scaled model. Now, IBM Consulting is launching a new approach for\nhow AI gets delivered called Forward Deployed Units (FDUs). An FDU isn't a\nperson; it's a pod. Humans at the edges with a digital workforce of\nspecialized agents in the middle, handling coding, evaluation, testing and\ndocumentation under human direction. \n\nHuman and Digital working as a team — by design\n\nThe composition is the point. It lets a six-person pod do the work of a\n30-person team at materially better economics, with methods that sharpen with\nevery engagement. It's how AI becomes a scaling factor, not just an assistant.\n\nFDUs are already at work with Riyadh Air, Nestlé, Heineken and Pearson,\nmoving AI from isolated pilots into production at scale. And we are now\ndeploying them at global scale, from Asia Pacific to Europe to the United\nStates, and rapidly increasing the number of FDUs we are putting into the\nfield.\n\nThe rise of the \"forward deployed engineer\" and why it's not enough\n\nRecently, there has been a rapid rise of the FDE. At its best, this role\nblends engineering, consulting and business expertise into one. It's someone\nwho can understand a problem, design a solution, and build it directly in the\nenvironment where it will be used in real time. Enterprises are no longer\nsatisfied with strategy alone and need people who can take AI into production.\nBut focusing on a single role misses the broader issue. The rise of the FDE is\nnot the solution, it is the signal. It shows that the way technology is\ndelivered must change.\n\nThe underlying issue is not about talent; it's systematic. No individual can\nsolve for fragmented data, complex architectures, governance requirements and\nthe need to move from idea to production in days instead of months. What's\nneeded is a delivery model that connects strategy, engineering and business\ncontext into a single system. That's the unlock businesses need and what IBM's\nFDUs are designed to do.\n\nEach team of FDUs is accountable for real business outcomes. They combine\nbusiness domain specialists who rethink processes, architects who connect\nstrategy to execution, and engineers who build and scale solutions. By working\nalongside client teams as an extension of the organization, they change how\nwork gets done. And at their core, they combine people, platforms and AI\nagents into a unified system, where human expertise shapes the work and AI\naccelerates its execution.\n\nTo support this, IBM maintains a dedicated technical career track for FDUs and\nrecruits from top global engineering and technical universities to ensure a\npipeline of the highest-caliber forward‑deployed talent.\n\nFrom projects to continuous execution\n\nTraditional models separate thinking from doing. Strategy is handed off, and\ncontext can be lost. FDUs collapse that model. The same team designs and\nbuilds solutions, and progress is measured in working systems rather than\ndeliverables, which is crucial for constantly evolving agentic AI systems.\nThey require ongoing tuning, governance and integration into live workflows,\nso delivering them is not a one-time project, but continuous execution.\n\nThis is where many approaches can fall short. FDEs can help get systems up and\nrunning, but AI does not stop at go-live. When delivery relies on individual\nroles, there is often pressure to move on after a system has been launched.\nThis creates a gap between implementation and sustained performance.\n\nFDUs are designed to address that disparity. They bring solution development,\nongoing operation and client capability into one model that sustains value\nover time, not only at launch. And because client teams work side-by-side with\nsenior practitioners throughout the engagement—not through handoffs or\npost‑delivery knowledge transfers—they build lasting internal capability\nto operate, evolve and scale AI long after the FDU has left. This turns every\nengagement into both an execution engine and a transformation accelerator.\n\nWhy platform matters as much as talent\n\nEmbedding teams is necessary, but not sufficient. To scale AI, teams need a\nshared foundation that offers speed, consistency and governance.\n\nAt IBM, FDUs run on IBM Consulting Advantage\n(https://www.ibm.com/consulting/advantage), an AI-powered delivery platform\nthat provides reusable assets, AI agents and industry accelerators. It enables\nfaster delivery and repeatability, turning isolated wins into enterprise-wide\nvalue, ensuring that teams don't start from scratch but build on a common,\nscalable system.\n\nThis combination of senior consultants, FDE‑level technical talent and IBM\nConsulting Advantage is something only IBM brings together in one model.\n\nThe next chapter of AI will be defined by execution\n\nThe next phase of AI won't be defined by models alone; it will be defined by\nthe ability to turn them into sustained business value. The conversation is\nalready shifting beyond tools and talent toward delivery systems.\n\nFDEs are part of that story, but they aren't the whole story. Organizations\nthat lead will bring together the right teams, platforms and operating model\ninto a single system. \n\nThat is what we are building with FDUs. It's how we move from experimentation\nto execution, and how we help clients turn AI ambition into real, measurable\noutcomes.\n\nAbout IBM \n\nIBM (NYSE: IBM (https://www.ibm.com/investor)) is a leading provider of global\nhybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than\n175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business\nprocesses, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries.\nThousands of governments and corporate entities in critical infrastructure\nareas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on\nIBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital\ntransformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough\ninnovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and\nconsulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is\nbacked by IBM's long-standing commitment to trust, transparency,\nresponsibility, inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more\ninformation.\n\nMedia contact: \n\nIBM\nElizabeth Brophy\nElizabeth.Brophy@ibm.com\n\nSOURCE IBM\n\n\n\nPhoto: \nhttps://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2319830/IBM_LOGO_1.jpg\n\nCopyright (c) 2026 PR Newswire Association,LLC. All Rights Reserved."},"type":"article","timestamp":"2026-05-14T13:00:10.141647406Z","server_sent_at_ms":1778763610141},"received_at":"2026-05-14T13:00:10.195Z","source_url":null},"analysis":null,"durationMs":null,"modelName":null}}