AI ROI benchmark · Professional services
Professional services AI ROI benchmark
Model research, analysis, and deliverable drafting while accounting for the sharp drop in reliability outside AI capability boundaries.
Modeled result
This is a planning scenario, not a market average. Replace every input before making a purchase decision.
| Current labor on the workflow | 720 hours/month |
|---|---|
| Loaded labor cost | $95/hour |
| Share suitable for AI assistance | 40% |
| Productivity lift on that share | 25% |
| Savings realized in practice | 55% |
| Software and usage cost | $900/month |
Monthly gross value = current hours × loaded cost × addressable share × productivity lift × realization rate. Net value subtracts software cost. Capacity has value only if the business can redeploy it, avoid new cost, or produce more useful work.
Run your own numbersWhere to use it
Good pilot candidates
- Structure research from supplied sources
- Draft analyses using firm-approved methods
- Prepare first-pass client deliverables for expert review
Keep a human decision
- Give regulated advice without qualified review
- Use generated citations that were not opened and checked
Evidence and limits
The consultant field experiment is directly relevant to bounded knowledge work. The model still discounts gains because client mix and task difficulty vary.
- Navigating the Jagged Technological FrontierHarvard Business School working paper; later published in Organization Science 37(2) · Published 2023-09-15
A field experiment with 758 consultants found faster, higher-quality work inside the model capability frontier and worse accuracy on a task outside it.
- Experimental Evidence on the Productivity Effects of Generative Artificial IntelligenceScience · Published 2023-07-13
In preregistered writing tasks with 453 college-educated professionals, ChatGPT reduced completion time by 40% and raised rated output quality by 18%.
Read the full methodology, compare the other function benchmarks, or test a 30-day pilot against your own baseline.