AI ROI Calculator

Check the costs, benefits and payback of an AI investment. Results depend on your assumptions.

Rafał Mokrowiecki·Sources checked: 10 October 2026Updated: 4 November 2026

Editorial illustration: production processes and IT

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Scope and costs

What is the alternative to AI?E.g. current process, simple automation or a change in working practices.Input evidenceCalculation modeAnalysis period (months, 1–120)CurrencyInvestment in month 0 (currency)Exit cost in the final month (currency)Effective annual discount rate (%)Optional. Leave blank for no NPV. Agree the rate with finance.

All amounts must use one currency; changing it does not convert exchange rates. Pre-tax results at constant prices. Cash flows at month end.

Process measurement

Total tasks per monthShare of tasks using AI (%)Time without AI (minutes)Full task time with AI(minutes)Include data preparation, generation, verification, corrections and exception handling. Compare with the full task time without AI at the same quality standard.Fully loaded hourly labour cost (currency / h)Fixed monthly operating costs (currency)Variable cost per AI task (currency)Delay before benefits start (whole months)AI task share schedule (%)Optional: 40;60;80. One value per month after the delay; the last value repeats.

Cash benefits

Cash benefit from time freedAvoided spending per month (currency)At the entered AI share. The schedule scales this amount in proportion to the AI share.Time savings realisation rate (%)Share of monetary value, not hours. The percentage replaces the amount.What spending will be avoided?E.g. overtime, outsourced work or a credible hiring plan. Required for a positive time-related cash benefit.Other separate monthly benefit (currency)E.g. additional contribution margin after variable costs; full amount after the delay. May be negative.

Include cash effects of changes in errors

Do not count the same time as both avoided spending and a source of additional margin. Valuing hours alone does not increase cash benefits.

This model excludes taxes, price changes and working capital. If these matter, prepare a separate model on a consistent basis. Do not add financing costs to NPV again if already included in the discount rate.

Analysis result

Complete the assumptions and choose Calculate. Research results are not used as your forecast.

Scenario comparison

Your assumptions for three scenarios, without assigned probabilities. Editing inputs invalidates the previous result. Data disappear when you leave this page.

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Analysis result

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