Unlocking AI ROI: What Top Performers Know That You Might Be Missing
In this Community Intelligence report, ADAPT unpacks why AI returns keep stalling, despite growing spend and executive attention.
Published Dec 1, 2025 in
Articles
Data & AI Strategy
Contributors
Pooja Singh
Australian organisations are investing an average of $28 million a year in AI, yet many are still waiting to see results.
The problem isn’t the technology—it’s everything that surrounds it.
AI pilots break when the surrounding system is weak
Mike Kollo, former Director of AI at ADAPT, has seen promising pilots fall apart at scale, as costs, risks, and compliance challenges mount.
Mark Cameron, CEO of Alyve, warns that chasing efficiency alone sets the wrong goals and erodes quality.
Mark Pesce, Co-Founder of Wisely AI, says adoption inevitably stalls when tools are imposed from the top without involving the people expected to use them.
Top performers build trust, readiness, and adoption together
The organisations succeeding with AI see it as a way to amplify people, not replace them.
They embed governance that works in practice, get their data in order, and equip teams with the skills to use AI in ways that matter to the business.
Damien Thompson, Head of Technology Strategy & Data at Cricket Australia, says it comes down to trust—trust in the data and trust that AI will help, not harm.
With Australia’s AI maturity still developing, the winners will be those making small, deliberate moves now—grounded in readiness, clear purpose, and a culture that brings people along.
What you’ll learn in this report
- Why AI pilots that perform well in testing often fail at scale once real cost, risk, and compliance pressures show up.
- How weak rollout discipline, poor workforce buy in, and top down mandates undermine adoption, even when the technology is sound.
- Why trusted data, practical governance, and business aligned success measures are what separate AI activity from real ROI.
Australian organisations are investing an average of $28 million a year in AI, yet many are still waiting to see results.
The problem isn’t the technology—it’s everything that surrounds it.
AI pilots break when the surrounding system is weak
Mike Kollo, former Director of AI at ADAPT, has seen promising pilots fall apart at scale, as costs, risks, and compliance challenges mount.
Mark Cameron, CEO of Alyve, warns that chasing efficiency alone sets the wrong goals and erodes quality.
Mark Pesce, Co-Founder of Wisely AI, says adoption inevitably stalls when tools are imposed from the top without involving the people expected to use them.
Top performers build trust, readiness, and adoption together
The organisations succeeding with AI see it as a way to amplify people, not replace them.
They embed governance that works in practice, get their data in order, and equip teams with the skills to use AI in ways that matter to the business.
Damien Thompson, Head of Technology Strategy & Data at Cricket Australia, says it comes down to trust—trust in the data and trust that AI will help, not harm.
With Australia’s AI maturity still developing, the winners will be those making small, deliberate moves now—grounded in readiness, clear purpose, and a culture that brings people along.
What you’ll learn in this report
- Why AI pilots that perform well in testing often fail at scale once real cost, risk, and compliance pressures show up.
- How weak rollout discipline, poor workforce buy in, and top down mandates undermine adoption, even when the technology is sound.
- Why trusted data, practical governance, and business aligned success measures are what separate AI activity from real ROI.
