Zapier Partners with NewtonX to Reveal How Enterprises Measure AI ROI

Zapier, the leader in AI-powered automation, released Proving AI Progress: How enterprises measure success, governance, and ROI, a new report offering a clear path for enterprises struggling to measure the impact of artificial intelligence. Based on research conducted with NewtonX, the report introduces the Enterprise AI Reporting Framework—a practical model designed to help leaders connect early signals like adoption and productivity to concrete business outcomes.

The research reveals a significant disconnect between executive expectations and on-the-ground reality. The study finds that 92% of leaders say proving AI ROI at scale is difficult or only partially manageable. In response, leaders often use adoption as a proxy for progress, but the report finds that governance and integration remain critical weak points.

This framework directly addresses core challenges practitioners identified in the research, including integrating AI into existing systems—cited by 44% as the single biggest barrier to progress. The report positions AI orchestration as the key to unifying these stages, allowing companies to automate workflows with governance built-in and turn anecdotal wins into enterprise-wide proof.

Read the full report → Proving AI Progress

Key Findings

• A Significant ROI Gap: 73% of enterprise leaders feel frequent or constant pressure from senior leadership to show AI ROI that doesn't yet exist, and 92% say proving it at scale is difficult or only partially manageable.
• Widespread "Shadow AI": Governance is failing to keep up with adoption. 51% of leaders admit their governance frameworks are lagging, while 63% of practitioners report using unapproved AI tools.
• Integration Is the #1 Barrier: 44% of practitioners identify integrating AI into existing systems as the top obstacle to scaling adoption and seeing progress.