AI Doesn't Have ROI
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A sharp critique arguing that AI has no measurable return on investment and that the entire AI industry has been built on deliberately obscured costs. Key evidence includes Uber's COO admitting difficulty justifying AI spend, enterprises accidentally burning millions on Anthropic tokens, and GitHub Copilot's shift to token-based billing causing user outrage. The author contends that AI companies intentionally subsidized subscriptions to hide true costs, that AI job displacement is a myth unsupported by economic data, and that the AI bubble is fundamentally worse than the Dot Com Bubble because AI data center infrastructure — unlike fiber optic cable — will leave behind no reusable, cost-reducing legacy. The piece also dissects a SemiAnalysis report on 'dark output' and a Bain & Co. survey showing most enterprises see minimal AI cost savings, concluding that if AI truly worked as advertised, its economic impact would be impossible to miss.
Table of contents
Despite Promises To The Contrary, AI Is Getting More ExpensiveStop Comparing AI To The Dot Com Bubble — It’s So Much Worse, And Will Not Work Out The Same WayThe AI Bubble Will Not Leave Behind Useful Infrastructure, And Does Not Have A Dot Com Bubble-esque “Redemption Arc”The Hysteria Around ROI Has BegunIf We Can’t Measure AI’s ROI, It Does Not Have One46.6K Impressions9 Comments