AI's Lack Of ROI Is Down To Leadership, Not Tech
CIO, Saturday, December 6th, 2025
AI investment is staggering, yet most pilots fail. Real value stems from leadership clarity, strategic alignment, and using AI to create capacity, not just cut costs.
The increasing hype around AI has exceeded any other technology shift, perhaps ever. This has been met with a corresponding amount of investment. Gartner estimates worldwide spending on AI through 2025 will be nearly $1.5 trillion. Despite the staggering amount, most organizations continue to grapple with a chronic gap between promise and realized value.
The most widely recognized data point to support this comes from an MIT report from earlier this year that reveals 95% of gen AI pilots fail. A McKinsey study also found that nearly 80% of companies use gen AI, yet almost as many report no significant impact to the bottom line.