C5i Unveils AI Impact Model to Help Enterprises Finally Measure—and Maximize—AI ROI
C5i, the AI and analytics company behind some of the world’s most high-stakes AI deployments, has launched what may be the missing link in enterprise AI: a scientific framework that predicts and optimizes business value from AI investments.
Dubbed the AI Impact Model, the framework moves enterprise AI strategy from intuition and experimentation to evidence-based decision-making. Already piloted across multiple Fortune 500 companies—including Lenovo, which is using the model to triage its AI priorities—the model is also earning academic validation. It’s now being taught as part of Kellogg School of Management’s online program, AI Strategies for Business Transformation.
Why It Matters
In a business world flush with AI hype, most leaders are still struggling to answer the simplest question: “Is this actually making us money?”
C5i’s model doesn’t just identify which AI projects are promising—it helps simulate how changes in execution, data quality, or team capability can affect impact. Think of it as a financial model, but for AI value creation.
“There’s a huge promise of AI-driven value, but the impact isn’t always there,” said Ashwin Mittal, Executive Chairman of C5i. “Leaders need more than instinct—they need a scientific, scalable way to prioritize and improve AI investments.”
The 5 AI Value Levers
The AI Impact Model is built around five core “value levers,” each representing a major factor that influences success across AI projects:
- Problem Definition – How well the business problem is framed
- Data – Availability, quality, and relevance of training data
- Technology – Appropriateness of tools, models, and infrastructure
- Talent – Capability and alignment of cross-functional teams
- Execution – Agility, stakeholder buy-in, and process discipline
By adjusting variables across these levers, organizations can simulate outcomes, evaluate trade-offs, and prescribe improvements, making it easier to justify budgets or reallocate resources.
“We’ve always had a long list of AI program opportunities,” said Ajit Sivadasan, President and Global Head of Ecommerce at Lenovo. “The AI Impact Model helps us prioritize and optimize for maximum ROI.”
Beyond Theory: From Fortune 500 to the Classroom
Unlike many frameworks that sit on PowerPoint slides, the AI Impact Model is already in the field—and in the classroom. Co-developed with Dr. Mohanbir Sawhney of Kellogg School of Management, the model is now taught as an elective course in Kellogg’s online AI strategy curriculum.
Dr. Sawhney puts it plainly:
“We’re past the proof-of-concept phase. Enterprises need to get serious about value—and this model provides a way to do just that.”
Whether you’re exploring generative AI, agentic AI, or traditional ML systems, the model provides a unified approach to assess ROI, simulate outcomes, and fine-tune programs for maximum strategic value.
A Signal to the Market: It’s Time for AI with Accountability
Enterprise AI is maturing—and so are the expectations. Leaders now face intense pressure not just to do AI, but to prove it’s working. That requires standardized, data-driven methods to prioritize the projects that matter—and walk away from those that don’t.
C5i’s AI Impact Model fills that gap with predictive modeling rooted in real-world data—turning AI governance from gut feel into business science.
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