Why Businesses Aren't Seeing ROI from AI (And How to Fix It)

I read a TechCrunch article this morning by Kyle Wiggers that really piqued my interest (link to the full article at the bottom).

Companies are starting to question the ROI on their AI investments. When I read through the article, I noticed that employees can see these AI tools as a burden instead of a productivity-enhancer. Employees have no clue how they are supposed to achieve the productivity gains that employers told them they would.

My thoughts on why that is the case:

• They invested in a bad AI Tool: Let's get the obvious out of the way. If a company invested in a poor AI Tool, there is no way for employees to find value in it.

• Lack of training: You cannot throw an AI tool at an employee and say, "Be more productive." In my experience, you do the exact opposite. You conduct workshops, training sessions, Q&A sessions, live demonstrations, use case exercises, etc. Demonstrate the value of the tool before implementing it.
• Lack of excitement: Instead of seeing AI tools as productivity enhancers, some employees feel like they are digging their own graves. "If an AI can help me be better at my job, it will eventually take my job, right?" Not exactly. Executives need to do a better job of communicating to their employees that these tools are supposed to make their lives easier, not harder. Companies have been implementing software for decades, and employees never questioned that software would take their jobs. However, hearing the "AI" buzzword can cause some concern. AI isn't going to take your job, but someone who excels at your job and knows how to leverage AI might.

• Lack of resources: Now, I could be completely wrong, but I feel that employees who aren't seeing value from AI tools must not have access to adequate resources—courses, tips and tricks, customer service, use case chatbots, etc. I also believe that if companies are taking a stab at AI right now, there should be an internal AI expert who can help employees navigate these new AI tools. These AI tools can be very confusing, and confusion leads to frustration.

Obviously everything I stated is my opinion. But after traveling the United States for the past year and a half as an AI Tool educator, I've learned a thing or two. Here are my thoughts on how to boost productivity with AI tools and instead of tanking it:

• Train your employees. Provide workshops, training sessions, Q&A sessions, live demos, and use case exercises.
• Get employees excited. These tools are supposed to make their jobs easier, not harder. That should be exciting, not draining.
• Provide adequate resources. After training, there should be a dedicated AI-expert, courses, tips and tricks, or chatbots that can answer employee questions about the newly implemented AI Tool.
• Start simple. Before asking your employees to go full-steam ahead with a new AI tool, get them started with something simple like ChatGPT. ChatGPT can serve as a great "gateway AI Tool" to open employees' eyes to what is possible with AI.

AI is here to stay, and early adopters who are implementing AI the right way are seeing phenomenal results.

Read the full article by Kyle Wiggers here.