Is AI Really Paying Off? CFOs Say ‘Not Yet’

TL;DR — What You Need to Know:

• AI monetisation is a priority: Despite AI’s transformative potential, 71% of CFOs say they’re still struggling to make money from it.
• Traditional pricing is outdated: 68% of tech firms find their legacy pricing models don’t work for AI-driven economies.
• Boardrooms are getting serious: AI monetisation is now a formal boardroom priority, but the tools to track usage and profitability remain limited.

Global Bean Counters are Struggling to Unlock AI Monetisation, and That’s a Huge Issue

AI is being hailed as the next big thing in business transformation, yet many companies are still struggling to capture its financial value.

A new global study of 614 CFOs conducted by DigitalRoute reveals that nearly three-quarters (71%) of these executives say they are struggling to monetise AI effectively, despite nearly 90% naming it a mission-critical priority for the next five years.

So, what’s the hold-up? Well, it’s clear: traditional pricing strategies just don’t fit the bill in an AI-driven economy. Over two-thirds (68%) of tech firms say their legacy pricing models are no longer applicable when it comes to AI. And even though AI has moved to the boardroom’s priority list — 64% of CFOs say it’s now a formal focus — many are still unable to track individual AI consumption, making accurate billing, forecasting, and margin analysis a serious challenge.

The concept of an AI “second digital gold rush” has been floating around, with experts like Ari Vanttinen, CMO at DigitalRoute, pointing out that companies are gambling with pricing and profitability without real-time metering and revenue management systems.

This is where the real opportunities lie. Vanttinen’s insight?

So, businesses that can meter AI consumption at the feature level and align their finance and product teams around shared data will unlock the margins the market expects.

Regional differences are also apparent in the study. Nordic countries are leading in AI implementation but are struggling with profitability. Meanwhile, France and the UK are showing stronger early commercial returns. The US, while leading in AI development, is more cautious when it comes to monetisation at the organisational level.

Here’s the key takeaway for CFOs: AI is a long-term play, but to scale successfully, businesses need to align their product, finance, and revenue teams around usage-based pricing, invest in new revenue management infrastructure, and begin tracking consumption at the feature level from day one.

The clock is ticking — CFOs need to stop treating AI as a cost line and start seeing it as a genuine profit engine.

So, what’s holding your company back from capturing AI’s full value?

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