Most companies still think AI is a technology problem.
It’s not.
PwC’s 2026 predictions remind us once again:
Only ~20% of value with AI comes from the tech.
The other 80% comes from how work is redesigned.
Yet most teams do the opposite.
I’ve seen teams with incredible tools still stuck with no measurable impact.
And others with basic tools driving real gains.
The difference?
They changed how the work gets done.
Buying feels like progress.
Pilots feel like progress.
But months later… nothing actually changes.
Redesigning work? That’s slower, messier and more uncomfortable.
It forces questions like:
→ Why do we do it this way today?
→ What decisions can be automated or aren’t decisions at all?
→ What should this role become?
That’s where the 80% actually shows up.
Companies getting returns from AI are leaning into redesigning work.
Less “what should we buy?”
More “what should this process become?”
If you’re working on AI right now, it’s worth asking:
Are we investing 80% of our effort where the value actually is?
Or just where it feels easier?
Credit to Carolyn Healey for the infographic, give her a follow.
♻️ Repost to help someone refocus on the 80%.
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I’d add that even “redesigning work” isn’t enough on its own.
The real shift is redesigning how decisions get made within that work.
Because in practice, impact shows up when teams are explicit about:
– which decisions are automated vs human-owned
– what level of confidence is required to act
– and how decisions are challenged or escalated
Without that, processes may change…
but outcomes don’t.
That’s where the 80% actually gets realized. Apr 30 1 like