At the FT’s Future of AI Summit, leaders like Bill Gates discussed AI’s impact on business. Meta’s Chief Data Officer Alex Schultz revealed that AI’s ROI varies wildly across departments — backend operations saw rapid gains, while other units experienced minimal benefit. This mirrors Goldman Sachs’ recent ban on AI coding tools for bankers and traders, restricting use to engineers only. The conversation highlights that AI’s value isn’t binary; tools may boost one team while hindering another. Wharton’s 2026 AI Adoption Report found 40% of tech firms report strong ROI, but most measure success via time saved — not net revenue. Critics argue these metrics may reflect activity, not true value, and ignore workflow disruptions or 'slop' from AI errors.
Ecommerce is another frontier. Former Klarna CMO David Sandstrom predicted AI will separate shopping (a social, human act) from purchasing (a routine task). AI may assist in gathering options, but final decisions — and the social experience — could remain human-driven. The panel suggested AI’s role is evolving from automation to augmentation, but measurable ROI remains elusive and inconsistently defined.
Source: Financial Times Companies · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing