The AI Cost Index
AI budgets are getting denied. Not because leadership does not want it, but
because nobody can put the cost against the return.
Here is the truth about AI readiness: nobody cares. Not the board, not the CFO.
What they ask is what is this going to cost, what is the anticipated return, and
how fast does it land. This assessment helps you build that case, so the budget
gets approved.
How it works
- Answer about ten questions. No email to start.
- Your answers run against benchmarks for your size and segment.
- Four cost estimates and the return against them, with the assumptions shown.
What version one showed
- 86% of leaders were asked to justify AI spend in the last year.
- 12% can put a revenue number on what AI generated.
- 66% of boards now condition further AI funding on proof of return.
- 75% of teams that cannot show a return have held back or killed investment themselves.
Why the ask keeps failing
Nobody is voting against AI. They are voting against a number they cannot check.
The ask does not fail on the pitch, it fails on the follow-up question, and the
follow-up question is always about money.
After the approval
Getting budget approved is one problem. Keeping it is the next one, because money
that does not show a return does not come back next cycle. The GNW Orchestration
Framework makes the work leave evidence behind, what it cost and what it changed,
before the next budget conversation starts.
Secure your budget: start the assessment