Why Most Companies Struggle to Prove AI ROI Despite Massive Investments
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RadioPublic Key Takeaways
- Charisma Glassman explains why many companies struggle to demonstrate measurable AI ROI despite reporting significant productivity improvements in isolated areas.
- Connecting enterprise workflows and implementing agentic AI are critical steps for moving beyond failed AI pilots and creating true business value.
- Executives often overlook hidden implementation costs and crucial governance risks when calculating the total cost of enterprise AI adoption.
- Empowering employees and preserving institutional knowledge through thoughtful workforce transformation often creates more sustainable value than simply cutting jobs with automation.
- Successful AI transformation requires robust change management, continuous learning strategies, and strong leadership to align technology with business outcomes.
In this episode of The Tech Leaders Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Charisma Glassman, Vice President and Partner at Genpact, to explore why companies struggle to prove AI ROI and what successful AI transformation actually requires. Drawing on her experience leading global technology initiatives, Charisma explains how businesses can move beyond isolated AI pilots, connect enterprise workflows, and measure outcomes that matter. They discuss agentic AI, AI governance, workforce transformation, and why empowering employees may create more sustainable value than eliminating positions. This conversation offers practical insights for CEOs, CIOs, technology executives, and business leaders navigating AI adoption and organizational change.
What You'll Learn
• Why many companies struggle to demonstrate measurable AI ROI despite reporting significant productivity improvements.
• How agentic AI, workflow orchestration, and outcome-based strategies create enterprise-wide business value.
• What executives overlook when calculating AI costs, managing governance risks, and scaling successful pilots.
• When AI automation strengthens employee productivity and when workforce reductions can undermine long-term value.
• The leadership skills, continuous learning strategies, and organizational changes needed to succeed in an AI-driven workplace.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction: Measuring AI ROI
01:18 Where AI Creates Business Value
05:22 The Truth Behind AI Productivity Claims
10:21 Hidden Costs and Enterprise AI Governance
11:27 Why Successful AI Pilots Fail to Scale
16:24 Agentic AI and Workflow Orchestration
19:49 AI, Automation, and Workforce Transformation
26:35 Human Judgment and Institutional Knowledge
32:55 Leading AI Transformation Through Change Management
40:13 Future-Proofing Careers and Executive Leadership
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AI ROI, artificial intelligence, enterprise AI transformation, AI business value, Charisma Glassman, AI productivity, agentic AI, AI automation, measuring AI ROI, enterprise AI adoption, AI governance, digital transformation, AI return on investment, agentic operations, AI workflow orchestration, workforce transformation, future of work, AI leadership, enterprise automation, AI implementation strategy, business process optimization, employee productivity, AI change management, outcome-based pricing, executive leadership, CEO AI strategy, CIO AI strategy, Genpact, Avetis, Tech Leaders Playbook
#ArtificialIntelligence #AIROI #AgenticAI #DigitalTransformation #AILeadership #EnterpriseAI #BusinessTransformation #FutureOfWork #AIGovernance #Automation #ExecutiveLeadership #TechLeadersPlaybook
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do companies struggle to prove AI ROI?
Many organizations struggle to prove AI ROI because they focus on isolated productivity metrics in single pilots rather than connecting enterprise-wide workflows and measuring long-term business outcomes.
What is agentic AI in enterprise technology?
Agentic AI refers to advanced artificial intelligence systems capable of autonomous decision-making and workflow orchestration, moving beyond simple task automation to drive end-to-end business processes.
How should executives approach AI workforce transformation?
Executives should focus on empowering employees and leveraging human judgment alongside AI automation, as workforce reductions can sometimes undermine long-term value and erode essential institutional knowledge.
Who is Charisma Glassman?
Charisma Glassman is the Vice President and Partner at Genpact, where she leads global technology initiatives and helps organizations navigate enterprise AI transformation and strategy.