Reframing the ROI of AI: It’s Time to Ask a Different Question

By Jaeger Glucina, Chief of Staff

AI adoption is accelerating globally, there’s no question about that. But with this, a familiar question is resurfacing: what’s the tangible ROI? The reality is, while ROI is undoubtedly important, we’re getting to a point where the real value of AI doesn’t quite fit into this anagram. There’s so much more to consider, so here’s why focusing on ROI alone might miss the mark…

Rethinking the Meaning of ROI

Whenever speaking to businesses beginning their AI journey – and even those well underway – the first response I hear to “What do you hope to achieve?”is almost always cost-savings. Soon after, two more words appear: efficiency and productivity.

These are critical goals, of course. But the way we tend to measure and talk about them today is incredibly one-dimensional. In the legal tech world, which is evolving faster than any of us could have imagined, the return on AI goes far deeper than simply doing the same work you always have but faster and cheaper – that in itself should be a given! If you’re a user or buyer of technology, truly understanding that is the first step to truly reaping the full benefits AI has to offer.

One of the most common “aha” moments I see from Luminance users happens when they build their business case. They realize that the time their teams spend manually entering data into legacy systems already exceeds the cost of our platform. That’s before you even consider the value of avoiding missed obligations, reducing liability, or unlocking early payment discounts that were previously buried in unstructured data. In other words, AI doesn’t just save money – it protects and creates it.

Value Comes in Many Shapes and Sizes…

Here are just some benefits which might be less quantifiable than ‘X’ minutes saved, but their impact actually goes far further…

Reframing risk mitigation:

Risk mitigation often sits near the top of any AI business case, but it’s still treated as a “what if” concept – an abstract measure of how much less risk there might be with new technology.

The reality is, every business has already experienced the cost of risk. A missed renewal. A compliance lapse. A lost client. A fine. The impact may be financial, reputational, or operational – but it’s always real. That’s where your business case for AI should begin.

The power of visibility:

If anything, the most transformative outcomes AI delivers aren’t always the most measurable. They’re often about visibility – the kind that allows leaders to make informed decisions with confidence rather than instinct.

Visibility is still a real gap for many organizations. Why? Because of disconnected systems, manual processes, and the absence of standardization or institutional knowledge. At Luminance, our mission is to solve that, giving every team interacting with contracts the clarity to act decisively, backed by real data rather than assumption.

Of course, it goes without saying that this ultimately all comes back to cost but viewing that as a simple byproduct of efficiency is superficial. That’s why we have to start thinking about it differently. 

Here at Luminance, we’ve focused on building a cognitive infrastructure for enterprises: a multi-agent system that thinks, acts and works alongside people. This goes far beyond standard automation; it transforms static contract data into strategic intelligence. And that’s where the real value lies.

Moving Beyond ROI: How to Drive Adoption

My biggest piece of adoption advice? When you’re trying to measure or justify AI investment, take a step back and let the past be your starting point. Ask:

• What’s already gone wrong?
• What was the impact?
• Can we tie that to a dollar value?

Whether it’s a direct financial hit, reputational loss or simply a drain on resource, this kind of pain is often what drives transformation.

Even when the value is clear, AI adoption can stall. The most common blockers? Cultural resistance, training gaps, and the elusive “unclear ROI.”

Here’s what we’ve seen work best:

• Start small, with clear KPIs. Pilot projects are the proving ground for what works in your business.
• Commit resources. A dedicated project owner can make or break a rollout.
• Celebrate early wins. Recognition builds momentum and internal advocacy.
• Share results widely. This endorsement helps strengthen buy-in and demonstrate the breadth of value.
• Scale strategically. Prove success in one workflow, then expand with confidence.

I’ve seen it first-hand… when you follow these steps, you’ll notice something interesting happens: people stop asking about ROI. Just like no one today questions the value of Excel, AI becomes so integral to daily operations that its benefit is self-evident. That’s the moment AI moves from being an initiative to becoming infrastructure. And that’s when you’ll know the question of ROI has already answered itself.