Datatonic Addresses Productivity Leakage to Move AI From Efficiency to Impact

Datatonic addresses "productivity leakage" as the primary driver of value erosion in enterprise AI value. With only 6% of organizations generating meaningful business impact from AI, Datatonic's execution-centric framework bridges the gap between pilot-stage efficiency and production-grade financial impact, ensuring AI investments drive revenue rather than just consuming budget. 

LONDON, Feb. 17, 2026 /CNW/ -- The era of "good enough" AI efficiency is over. While enterprise investment skyrockets, a silent crisis known as "productivity leakage" is eroding value before it hits the bottom line. Datatonic reinforces its strategic focus to combat this execution gap, providing the infrastructure required to turn isolated efficiency gains into measurable financial returns. Productivity leakage occurs when expected gains from AI fail to translate into business impact because the technology is not embedded into core decision-making structures.

"The time for playing with AI is over. You are either embedding AI into the DNA of your business to drive revenue, or you are leaking productivity until you forfeit your competitive advantage. The choice is yours" - Andy Harding, CTO of Datatonic

Global AI spending reached $1.5 trillion in 2025, yet only 6% of organizations qualify as high performers generating meaningful business impact, according to McKinsey's latest State of AI research. The issue is not access to technology but accountability. With 60% of companies lacking defined financial KPIs for AI, many continue to track model accuracy and pilot counts without demonstrating bottom-line results. Datatonic challenges this status quo, offering an engineering-first approach that prioritizes deep workflow integration over superficial tool adoption. 

Defining the Crisis: Why Efficiency Does Not Equal Value 

Most enterprises are bleeding value. They mistake faster email generation for business transformation. This is productivity leakage. Gartner predicts that organizations will abandon 60% of AI projects by 2026 due to a lack of AI-ready data, yet companies continue to pour money into models without fixing their foundations. 

The gap between leaders and underperformers is widening. AI ROI Leaders focus on revenue growth and business model reimagination, while underperformers settle for minor speed improvements. Productivity leakage is the defining difference. Without a defined business problem and a production-grade data foundation, AI initiatives are simply expensive experiments. 

We see companies celebrating 'productivity' while their bottom line remains stagnant," says Scott Eivers, CEO of Datatonic. "We exist to stop the bleeding and restore accountability back into the AI conversation. You don't need another pilot program; you need to evolve your operating model to capture true value."

Bridging the Gap: From Leakage to Leverage 

Datatonic's solution targets the three primary drivers of productivity leakage: poor data readiness, lack of workflow redesign, and resistance to change management. By moving beyond isolated GenAI pilots to agentic, scalable workflows, enterprises can finally capture the value they were promised. 

• Data Readiness First: As IBM notes, data quality is one of the most common reasons AI initiatives fail. Models shouldn't be deployed on broken foundations; AI-ready data is essential for scalable impact.
• Workflow Transformation: McKinsey data shows that organizations reporting significant financial returns are twice as likely to redesign workflows before selecting AI tools. Agentic systems deliver the most value when they operate with context and integrate directly into core business processes.
• Outcome-Oriented Deployment: Moving from "good enough" to production-grade requires rigor. Datatonic focuses on execution-centric AI that drives direct financial return, such as dramatic cost reductions in invoice processing and accelerated content discovery.

"AI projects that don't directly drive revenue or protect the bottom line are failures. The real ROI isn't in new tools, but in redesigning workflows for agentic AI. Whether it's embedding intelligence into core operations to reduce churn or replacing static concepts with actualized results--the advantage belongs to those who use AI to deliver the outcome, not just the idea," says Andy Harding, CTO of Datatonic. 

The End of the Pilot Era

As enterprises face tighter budget scrutiny and longer ROI timelines, the tolerance for speculative AI projects has evaporated. Datatonic positions itself as the partner for the leaders willing to undertake the structural changes necessary for survival.

This is not about layering technology; it is about business survival. As AI investment accelerates, the real barrier is no longer access to tools but the ability to execute at scale. Datatonic leverages production-grade AI ecosystems to orchestrate systems that act with reliability and oversight, allowing companies to close the gap between early productivity gains and genuine operational value.

"The time for playing with AI is over," asserts Harding. "You are either embedding AI into the DNA of your business to drive revenue, or you are leaking productivity until you forfeit your competitive advantage. The choice is yours." 

About Datatonic 
Datatonic is a global Data and AI consultancy and 10-time Google Cloud Partner of the Year, helping enterprises turn data and AI into clear, measurable business outcomes. As an end-to-end partner, Datatonic drives rapid transformation across strategy, architecture, deployment, enablement, and continuous optimization, empowering organizations to scale AI impact. Learn more at datatonic.com. 

References:

• Orsborn, M. (2026, January 5). Measuring what matters -- AI ROI beyond the hype. Medium. medium.com/@markorsborn/post-10-measuring-what-matters-ai-roi-beyond-the-hype-b9c7eed5071e 
• Aquino, J., & Jonker, A. (2026, January 15). AI Data Quality. Ibm.com. ibm.com/think/topics/ai-data-quality 
• Mayer, H., Yee, L., Chui, M., & Roberts, R. (2025, January 28). Superagency in the workplace: Empowering people to unlock ai's full potential. McKinsey & Company. mckinsey.com/capabilities/tech-and-ai/our-insights/superagency-in-the-workplace-empowering-people-to-unlock-ais-full-potential-at-work
• Singh, R. (2025, August 24). 95% of companies are getting zero return on their AI investments. Medium; GenusofTechnology. medium.com/genusoftechnology/95-of-companies-are-getting-zero-return-on-their-ai-investments-2a5fe7242f29
• The Ai Consultancy. (2026, January 20). The 40% problem: Why most UK small business AI projects fail and what the survivors do differently. Medium. medium.com/@ai_93276/the-40-problem-why-most-uk-small-business-ai-projects-fail-and-what-the-survivors-do-differently-e27c117ef0e7

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SOURCE Datatonic