The value of artificial intelligence (AI) will ultimately be measured in business results: better service, more productive teams, stronger decision-making and the ability to grow sustainably.
As organisations weigh up where to invest in new technology, the challenge is to identify where AI can make a practical difference to the way work gets done, rather than introducing tools without a clear purpose.
This question is particularly relevant when businesses must make careful choices about where to direct investment, how to develop their people and how to improve performance across their operations.
Accenture’s Generating Impact report, which examines AI adoption and organisational readiness provides a useful framework for this challenge. Although it is UK-specific, its central message is relevant to South African business leaders: AI delivers value when it is connected to business priorities and supported by changes to the way an organisation operates.
One of the developments explored in the report is agentic AI. Unlike tools that primarily respond to prompts, AI agents can interpret objectives, plan multiple steps, interact with enterprise systems and execute tasks within defined boundaries.
For a South African organisation, this could prompt a rethink of how customer enquiries are handled, how information moves between departments or how repetitive administrative work is managed.
The appropriate applications will differ by sector and business, but the starting point remains the same: understand the problem before choosing the technology.
That means examining processes as they currently operate. An AI tool may help an employee complete a task more quickly, yet the overall process may still be slowed by duplicated work, unnecessary approvals or disconnected systems.
Business leaders should look at how work moves across teams, identify persistent bottlenecks and determine whether AI can help simplify the process. For smaller businesses, this may mean starting with one well-defined administrative or customer-service challenge.
Larger organisations may need to consider how individual improvements can be connected across functions.
The business case should also extend beyond reducing costs. Efficiency is important, but AI may create value through improved decisions, more responsive customer service, faster product development and new revenue opportunities.
In South Africa’s varied business environment, organisations will have different priorities and levels of digital maturity. A solution that works well in one organisation may not be appropriate for another.
Investments should therefore be judged against specific business outcomes, with clear measures of performance and a realistic assessment of the resources required to achieve them.
The report identifies five areas that need to work together: strategy, work, workforce, digital infrastructure, and safety and security. These provide a practical way for South African leaders to assess their readiness.
Does the AI initiative support a defined business priority? Have the relevant processes been redesigned? Can existing systems provide reliable information? Are employees prepared for the change? Are the risks understood and managed? Addressing these questions early can help organisations avoid investing in technology that is difficult to integrate or scale.
People are central to this process. As AI takes on more routine execution and coordination, employees will need to apply judgement, critical thinking, communication and collaboration in new ways. They must also be able to assess AI-generated information, recognise errors and know when a decision requires human oversight.
Local employers should consider these requirements alongside their technology plans, giving employees opportunities to develop relevant skills and understand how their responsibilities may evolve. Training should be practical and connected to the work people actually do.
Leadership must make these changes a business priority. AI cannot be treated solely as an IT project when its implications extend to customer relationships, operating processes, financial performance and workforce planning.
Executives need to set clear objectives, understand the technology’s limitations and bring the relevant functions together. They should also be prepared to question established ways of working where the evidence suggests a better approach.
For organisations deploying AI agents, governance requires particular attention because these systems can take actions across connected applications.
Businesses need to define what an agent may do independently, which actions require approval and how exceptions should be escalated. Secure access to data, monitoring and clear accountability should be built into the implementation from the beginning.
The technology foundation matters, too. AI agents need reliable data, relevant business information and secure connections to the systems in which they operate. Organisations should assess these foundations against their chosen priorities and strengthen them progressively.
They should test solutions in appropriate settings, monitor performance and refine safeguards as they learn. This approach helps ensure that expansion is based on evidence of value and a clear understanding of the risks.
The practical next step is to choose a meaningful business challenge, examine the process behind it and determine whether AI can improve the outcome. Employees should be involved early, technology readiness assessed honestly, and results measured consistently. Initiatives that demonstrate value can then be refined and expanded where appropriate.
The opportunity lies in making AI relevant to the realities and ambitions of each business. Organisations that combine clear priorities with redesigned workflows, capable employees and trusted systems will be better positioned to turn AI’s expanding capabilities into measurable business impact.
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