The article stresses that while artificial intelligence (AI) promises huge returns on investment (ROI), many organisations overestimate how quickly and easily those returns will materialise. Instead of instant cost savings and productivity boosts, companies often discover that realising value from AI takes careful planning, alignment with business strategy, and iterative improvement. The author argues that hype around AI tools has led some leaders to adopt technology before clarifying the problems they actually need to solve, which can result in disappointment and stalled projects.
A key point is that AI ROI depends on quality data and clear goals. Without clean, structured, and accessible data, AI systems struggle, and organisations can spend more time fixing data issues than generating insights. The article highlights that many early adopters skip a critical preparatory phase — defining metrics, evaluating data readiness, and prioritising use cases — and jump straight to deploying flashy AI tools. This approach can deliver impressive proofs-of-concept but rarely translates into sustained ROI without addressing underlying organisational and technical bottlenecks.
The author also emphasises the importance of human–machine collaboration. AI alone isn’t a silver bullet; its value comes from how effectively humans integrate it into decision-making, workflows, and domain expertise. Leaders must invest in training, change management, and governance structures that help employees understand, trust, and use AI outputs wisely. Organisations that ignore this risk encountering resistance, misuse, or unintended consequences that erode the expected financial and operational gains.
Finally, the piece warns against treating AI ROI as a short-term target. Long-term value requires continuous evaluation and adaptation as models evolve, business priorities shift, and new risks emerge. Firms that view AI implementation as a strategic transformation rather than a one-off project are better positioned to capture sustained benefits — from operational efficiency to innovation and competitive advantage — while avoiding common pitfalls that undermine ROI.
