ROI That Survives the Second Question

As AI becomes a commodity, the true value of human contribution shifts from mere output to expert judgment. A recent article on Dev.to argues that measuring AI success solely by time saved is insufficient. While AI can automate routine tasks, it often creates new demands on experts to verify data, correct assumptions, and provide context. The author suggests that the real return on investment (ROI) is found by asking a second question: 'What did this time savings allow us to do?' True value emerges when AI enables teams to pivot from manual data gathering to investigating strategic assumptions or solving complex problems that were previously ignored. Ultimately, businesses must manage AI implementation to ensure that expert judgment is not buried in review cycles, but rather leveraged to compound organizational knowledge and drive higher-level decision-making.