When it comes to evaluating the return on investment for cloud-based artificial intelligence projects, the discussion tends to swing between two extreme viewpoints-either enterprises are raking in big gains or they're stuck in a never-ending quagmire of false starts and expensive lessons. Google Cloud's latest study, "The ROI of AI 2025" paints a hopeful picture, claiming that early adopters of AI agents are seeing returns within the first year.
Every company wants to have an AI strategy: A bold vision to do more with less. But there's a growing problem-one that few executives want to say out loud. AI initiatives aren't delivering the returns they were hoping for. In fact, many leaders now say they haven't seen meaningful returns at all. IBM recently found that only 1 in 4 AI projects hit the expected ROI. And BCG's research goes further still: 75% of businesses have seen no tangible value from their AI investments.