Avanade, the world's leading Microsoft expert, today launches Build Beyond Limits, its point of view on the next phase of driving AI value: moving beyond AI productivity gains to create entirely new business models, revenue streams and customer experiences.

After working with more than 7,000 organisations worldwide and deploying AI across its own business as Microsoft's Client Zero, Avanade sees a clear pattern emerging. While the first wave of AI adoption focused on productivity and efficiency, the organisations creating lasting competitive advantage are using AI to fundamentally redesign how they operate, serve customers and create value.

"We're reaching a tipping point in the AI journey," said Chris Howarth, CEO, Avanade. “The first chapter of AI implementation was about doing things faster. The next chapter is about doing things that were never thought possible before. The organisations that lead tomorrow won't simply use AI to improve today's business. They'll use it to build entirely new ways of creating value."

That perspective is reinforced by preliminary findings from Avanade's upcoming AI Reality Report. The research found that:

73% of leaders believe too much AI investment remains focused on incremental improvements to existing processes and ways of working.
Just 17% report having fundamentally redesigned their operating model around AI.

The findings suggest that while AI adoption continues to accelerate, most organisations remain focused on improving existing processes rather than rethinking the business itself.

"Most organisations today have AI on their business," said Ben Beath, Chief AI Officer, Avanade. "They're using Copilot, automation and AI tools to make existing work faster and more efficient. That delivers real value and is an important first step. But lasting advantage comes when organisations put AI in their business by redesigning workflows around intelligence, connecting data, technology and people differently, and creating entirely new sources of value. That's where we see the biggest opportunity emerging."

Avanade Says AI's Biggest Value Will Come From More Than Productivity Alone