AI ROI Reality Check: Google vs Wharton vs MIT (Oct 22, 2026)

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! 🎧 Listen ADS-FREE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/djamgamind-executive-ai-intelligence-business-forensics/id1885359791 🌐 Daily Briefing: https://djamgamind.com/daily 📚 Research Hub: https://djamgamind.com/pdfs [SPECIAL EDITION] Google's survey of 2,403 executives says 86% see AI driving cost-efficient growth. Wharton says 7% are getting it fully right. MIT said 95% saw no return. We line them up and find what the winners do differently. In this episode: The question changed: "AI ROI" searches overtook "how to use AI"; token efficiency beats tokenmaxxing. Google Cloud's view: 26% report accelerating returns. Their three habits: clear ownership, required training, AI in core processes. How to read a vendor survey: who answered, who paid, and the 12% who track AI value formally. Wharton's check: only 7% succeed on all three markers; growth metrics beat hours saved, 35% vs 13%. MIT's skeptic view: 95% saw no return in 2025, and why AI that forgets is part of the problem. The hidden cost: governance and security, after this week's AI agent incidents. The AI ROI scorecard: five steps for your next budget review. Sources & links: https://enoumen.substack.com 🤝 Advertise on AI Unraveled & DjamgaMind: Put your enterprise AI brand in front of the CTOs, CISOs and engineering leaders who make AI buying decisions. Daily, in English and French, across 6 podcast feeds, YouTube and Substack. Sponsorship tiers & media kit: https://djamgamind.com/partners 🔗 TOOLS FROM THE SHOW AI & ML Tutor PRO: Master real-world ML architectures from your phone. https://djamgamind.com/apps/?app=aitutor&ep=20261022&src=rss DjamgaTech: Pass your AWS, Azure, GCP & AI certification exams. https://djamgamind.com/apps/?app=djamgatech&ep=20261022&src=rss iQz: 100 free offline logic puzzles, plus 100 more with iQz PRO. Every answer explains the rule. No ads, no account. https://djamgamind.com/apps/?app=iqz&ep=20261022&src=rss DjamgaMind Kids: Imaginative bedtime audio adventures. https://djamgamind.com/apps/?app=kids&ep=20261022&src=rss Google Workspace: Business email, Docs and Gemini for your team, with discount codes. https://djamgamind.com/toolkit/#google-workspace AI Executive Toolkit: The AI tools we actually use. https://djamgamind.com/toolkit Exam-guide eBooks: AI-901, AWS AI Practitioner and more, with practice questions, on Google Play and Shopify. https://djamgamind.com/ebooks/?src=rss ⚗️ Researched & produced by Etienne Noumen, P.Eng. (Calgary, Canada) with a hybrid "Human-in-the-Loop" workflow.