How to Achieve Success with AI: Lessons From the 5% That Deliver ROI

A recent report, The GenAI Divide: State of AI in Business 2025, published by MIT’s NANDA initiative, delivers a sobering finding: 95% of generative AI pilots fail to deliver measurable returns. 

The issue is not flawed models but organizational missteps. In complex environments like financial services, AI adoption often stalls when firms neglect integration, strategy, and execution, leaving only 5% of projects achieving rapid revenue growth or meaningful cost savings. This gap reflects shortcomings in implementation and readiness, not in the technology itself. At Alkymi, we are proud that our clients are among the 5% delivering measurable value. Drawing on our extensive industry experience, we partner with them to build the right strategy and ensure successful AI onboarding.

How Our Clients Are Realizing Tangible ROI from AI

Our clients are seeing value from AI by applying it purposefully to their most complex workflows.

1. Target real workflows, not hypotheticals
   Focus on solving core document challenges such as onboarding, capital call processing, and investor reporting. These workflows generate clear value and are ideal for structured automation, not abstract experimentation.
2. Deploy secure automation
   Trust is critical in financial services. By combining enterprise-grade infrastructure (Google Cloud, AWS, SOC 2) with human oversight layered atop automation, firms can ensure confidence, accuracy, and control.
3. Partner with domain experts
   Many firms lack both AI and financial services expertise. Success comes from working with partners who blend technical fluency with deep domain knowledge, which is exactly what Alkymi provides.
4. Integrate workflows across the entire process
   Real impact requires automation that connects seamlessly from ingestion through to downstream systems. Ensuring end-to-end integration allows firms to unlock efficiency, consistency, and scalability.

MIT’s report is a wake-up call, not a dismissal of AI’s potential. It reminds us that AI projects fail when they lack purpose, integration, and execution. But when done right, especially in domains like financial services, generative AI can transform operations at scale.

At Alkymi, we are building AI-powered systems that deliver actionable, secure, and trusted automation for financial services. Our focus on document automation is not driven by buzz but by solving real problems and creating measurable ROI for our clients. As the industry continues to evolve, we remain committed to helping firms scale with confidence, innovate responsibly, and shape the future of financial services with AI.