Free tool · runs in your browser
What is an AI initiative actually worth?
Model the annual value, first-year ROI, and payback of an AI initiative from a few honest inputs — and see the cost of doing nothing while you wait.
Be conservative — count only time genuinely freed.
Salary + on-costs ÷ working hours.
Few initiatives hit 100%. 50–70% is honest.
Tools, build, run, and change management.
Used for the cost of doing nothing.
Estimated annual value created
Net of cost: £37,280
Return on investment
Payback in 6.2 months
Cost of doing nothing: waiting 6 months to start forgoes about £38,640 of value you could have captured.
A model, not a forecast — outputs are only as good as your inputs, and it deliberately ignores ramp-up, quality gains, and second-order effects. Use it to frame the decision, then pressure-test the assumptions. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Turn a number into a plan
A rough ROI is a start. A Fractional Chief AI Officer turns it into a costed roadmap and shipped results — with the assumptions properly pressure-tested.
Book a strategy call →Frequently asked
How is AI ROI calculated here?
The calculator estimates annual value as: number of people affected × hours saved per week × realistic adoption × fully-loaded hourly cost × working weeks. It then subtracts the all-in annual cost of the initiative to give net value, first-year ROI, and payback — and models the value forgone by delaying.
What is the "cost of doing nothing"?
It’s the value you forgo while you wait to start. If an initiative would create value each month, delaying the start by several months forgoes that value permanently — often a larger number than executives expect.
Is this a guarantee of results?
No. It’s a transparent model to frame a decision, not a forecast. It deliberately ignores ramp-up, quality gains, and second-order effects, and its outputs are only as good as your inputs. Use it to structure the conversation, then pressure-test the assumptions.