Despite pouring astronomical amounts into artificial intelligence (AI), only one in five companies is seeing actual revenue growth. This phenomenon, termed the 'AI investment return on investment (ROI) paradox,' is becoming a focal point in global business discussions.
According to the IT industry on June 29, data from major research firms like Gartner and Second Talent indicates that the average annual AI investment by global corporations reaches $6.5 million (approximately 1 billion won). This year, total worldwide AI spending is projected to surge by 47% from the previous year, reaching $2.59 trillion. Notably, spending on generative AI software has increased by 80.8% compared to the same period last year.
While investment levels are rising sharply, the results are falling short of expectations. A survey by Deloitte of 1,854 executives found that only 20% of global companies reported achieving revenue growth through AI. Companies that allocated budgets solely for the introduction of generative AI without a clear strategy faced even higher failure rates in their AI transformations. Those with a formal AI strategy had an 80% success rate, while those without one only achieved a 37% success rate.
The proliferation of agent AI has also increased the burden of token costs. According to analysis by Crunchbase, the average monthly AI token expenditure per employee is $2,246 (about 346,000 won) for typical companies, while the top 25% of firms spend around $14,843 (approximately 22,860,000 won) monthly. In fact, Uber's deployment of AI coding tools to 5,000 engineers resulted in individual monthly charges ranging from $500 to $2,000 (about 770,000 to 3,080,000 won), exhausting its entire annual budget in just four months.
In South Korea, the situation is marked by stark polarization. Over 80% of domestic companies have adopted AI in some form, but the adoption rate among small and medium-sized manufacturing firms is only around 1%. A survey by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry revealed that 82.3% of manufacturing companies do not utilize AI in their operations, with only 4.2% of small businesses employing it. Many lack the financial capacity to invest millions in areas that do not immediately translate into revenue.
Michelle Carlson, an analyst at Gartner, stated, "Simply increasing AI spending does not lead to business results. Successful companies are those that have linked AI to product innovation, sales, and marketing to leverage it as a growth engine."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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