The Agent ROI Reckoning: Why Most AI Rollouts Still Don't Pay Back
By Ervin Dhima
AI agents genuinely save hours — about 6.4 a week per worker — yet only 41% of deployments hit positive ROI within a year and 19% never pay back. The 2026 data shows the deciding variable isn't the model; it's measurement: the winners instrument for the production-accuracy drop and rework tax that quietly eat the savings.