Deloitte: Work Design Essential to Realize AI Return on Investment

NEW YORK, October 27, 2025

Key takeaways

• Humans × Machines, not Humans + Machines: Deloitte research shows that true ROI comes when people and AI work in convergence, multiplying impact rather than merely collaborating.
• Tech-focused approaches are not paying off: Most surveyed organizations (59%) report a tech-focused approach to AI investment, yet these companies are 1.6x more likely to report that their AI investments are not exceeding expectations.
• The work-design problem: Most organizations are treating AI as a technology upgrade, layering it onto legacy work models, with just 16% reporting they have fully designed roles, processes, and operating models to integrate AI into work.

Why this matters
As AI adoption accelerates, a growing number of organizations are realizing that technology alone doesn’t deliver impact. Deloitte’s new Humans × Machines perspective shows that unlocking measurable AI ROI requires designing work to fully integrate human and machine capabilities. Many organizations that are investing in AI are not making the same level of investment in their people and work design. However, companies that approach AI through the lens of work design can move beyond efficiency to drive agility, innovation and a sustained competitive advantage.

View from the C-suite
A recent Deloitte survey of C-suite leaders at companies with more than 5,000 employees reinforces the need for a Humans × Machines approach:

• Tech-focused approaches are not paying off: 59% of surveyed organizations report a tech-focused approach to AI investment, yet these companies are 1.6x more likely to report their AI investments are not exceeding expectations.
• IT is leading work design: 39% of surveyed organizations report that IT is leading work design as a result of AI implementation, while only 12% report that HR is leading these initiatives.
• Leadership misalignment: 51% report that leadership/strategic misalignment is a barrier to realizing value from AI at scale. Other top barriers include limitations of technology integration (47%), workforce readiness (41%), and a lack of work design (39%).

“Our latest research shows a clear pattern: most organizations are investing heavily in AI, but not enough in the work design needed to unlock its value. This shouldn’t be an ‘either/or’ approach — it should be a ‘both/and’ strategy to maximize value. Organizations that take a technology-first approach struggle to scale, while those that intentionally design roles, workflows, and decision-making to integrate humans and machines are more likely to exceed their ROI expectations. The data underscores that AI’s potential is realized through work design.”
– David Mallon, US Human Capital head of research and chief futurist, Deloitte

As AI capabilities become increasingly democratized, the true differentiator for businesses is their investment in people. Judgment, creativity, and empathy—what Deloitte calls the “human edge”—are amplified, not replaced, by machines. Organizations that intentionally design optimal human and machine interactions to bring out the best in both are the ones best positioned to capture growth.

Work design as the missing link
Deloitte’s research shows that while most organizations have invested heavily in technology, they have not made the corresponding shift in how work is designed. Many continue to treat AI as an overlay on legacy workflows, limiting its potential. This is called an antipattern, a familiar but counterproductive approach that keeps organizations stuck in pilot mode. Intentional work design reimagines roles, workflows, and decision-making around human-machine convergence.

“Intentional work design is about approaching work as a product—something designed, tested, and continuously improved. This mindset reframes AI from a bolt-on enhancement into an integral part of how organizations operate. And HR has a critical role to play in leading that change, ensuring that AI is introduced in ways that build trust, support learning, and elevate human performance.”
– Simona Spelman, US Human Capital national leader, Deloitte

Work design in practice
Humans × Machines highlight how effective AI implementation depends on reimaging roles, workflows and decision-making. When done right, the relationship between humans and machines evolves from collaboration to convergence, producing exponential returns.

“At Medtronic, we’ve learned that realizing the true value of AI requires embedding AI into end-to-end processes. For us, that starts with HR, where we’ve set an ambitious goal to augment 80% of our HR processes with some degree of AI enablement in the next three years. By thinking holistically, we’re able to deliver outcomes that are scalable and deliver exponential value at the overall function level. We must reimagine how work gets done. That’s the only way to move from incremental impact to transformational results.”
– Kunal Sethi, vice president, HR & Finance Digital Technologies and Enablement at Medtronic

Unlock value with Deloitte’s Work Design solutions
Effective Human × Machine interaction requires intentional design. Deloitte’s Work Design Suite helps organizations model, test, and evolve how work gets done, connecting human outcomes like trust and performance with business outcomes like cost and growth.

• Workforce Impacts: Data-driven analysis that identifies where AI can create value and how human capabilities can scale alongside it.
• Workforce × AI Integration Studio: A live experience that simulates the business impact of AI use cases and initiatives, pinpointing workforce risks, enablers, and strategic tradeoffs.
• Work Engineering: Practical strategies to operationalize human–machine collaboration and capture value through designing roles, processes, and talent models.

Spotlight at Gartner HR Symposium/Xpo
Deloitte leaders will discuss this new Humans x Machines approach at the Gartner HR Symposium/Xpo. Other senior business leaders will share their firsthand experiences about bringing AI and automation capabilities into their organizations and discuss how work design and human-machine convergence can help organizations move beyond pilots to deliver sustainable ROI at scale.

Read Humans x Machines here and learn more about our Work Design Suite here.

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