Every AI Budget Is a Bet

What’s in it

Accenture surveyed 750 executives at companies with more than $1 billion in revenue. Less than one dollar in five of what they spend running AI could be traced to a measured financial result, and only 35 percent could say what a single business result costs.

Part one is the return on what you already run: why the bill keeps rising while prices fall, why the number that matters is what one finished piece of work costs, and why paying premium prices for simple sorting work is a choice most companies never knew they made.

Part two is how to place the next bet before you can know how it will pay: write down what you expect, pick the first project for what it teaches you, and decide in advance what would make you stop. It ends with a five-rung ladder so you can see where you stand.