What AI adoption and process optimisation mean in economic terms
Independent studies from leading research institutions and consultancies estimate the growth and productivity effect of artificial intelligence. The figures below summarise the most cited findings.
Potential annual value that generative AI could add to the global economy (range $2.6 – 4.4 trillion).
Source: McKinsey Global Institute, 2023Potential increase in global GDP over a ten-year period through generative AI adoption.
Source: Goldman Sachs Research, 2023Estimated contribution of AI to the global economy by 2030.
Source: PwC, Sizing the PrizePotential annual value for the UK economy from a productivity uplift of up to 1.5 percentage points.
Source: UK Government AI Opportunities Action Plan, citing IMF, 2025Measured productivity gains by task type
Controlled studies measured how much faster or more productive people became when supported by AI tools in specific tasks.
Where businesses stand today
Organisations that have adopted AI in at least one business function.
Source: McKinsey, The State of AI, 2024Average value reported per $1 spent on AI.
Source: IDC / Microsoft, 2023Share of employee time spent on activities that could technically be automated with current technology (60 – 70 %).
Source: McKinsey Global Institute, 2023Potential uplift in annual productivity growth in developed economies.
Source: Goldman Sachs Research, 2023Where the value typically comes from
Across industries, most of the measurable value of AI concentrates in a small number of business functions. These are also the areas where we usually start.
Customer operations
AI-supported service workflows, faster answers, automated case handling and better first-contact resolution.
Marketing & sales
Content production, lead qualification, personalisation and preparation of sales conversations.
Software engineering
Faster development, code review, documentation and maintenance of internal systems.
Back office & administration
Document processing, data entry, reporting, reconciliation and approval workflows.
From potential to measurable result
Studies describe the potential. Whether a business realises it depends on how AI is introduced. This is the path we follow with clients.
Assess
Identify processes with repetitive work, high volume and clear rules.
Prioritise
Rank use cases by value, risk and data readiness.
Pilot
Prove one use case against defined success metrics.
Integrate
Connect to existing systems with human review where needed.
Scale & govern
Extend to further processes with monitoring and guidelines.
Find out where AI creates value in your business.
In a focused session we look at your processes and identify the use cases with the best ratio of value to effort.