Stop Automating Old Processes. Design New Ones Instead. - hbr.org

Summary.

Companies are pouring money into AI but often failing to generate enterprise-wide returns because they automate individual tasks rather than redesign the workflows that produce business value.Companies are rapidly increasing AI investment, but enterprise returns remain elusive. BCG’s January 2026 “AI Radar,” surveying 640 CEOs across 16 markets, reports that corporations expect to roughly double AI spending this year, from 0.8% of revenue to about 1.7%. Yet PwC’s 2026 “Global CEO Survey” finds that only 12% of CEOs report both revenue and cost benefits, while McKinsey QuantumBlack’s April 2026 analysis finds that 60% of organizations still see no enterprise-wide EBIT impact—even as nearly eight in 10 use generative AI in at least one business function.