Sales
The AI revenue opportunity businesses are still leaving on the table
By Emily Gimpel — On November 13, 2026
While AI is giving revenue teams time back, turning that capacity into revenue growth remains a work in progress.
New research from Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, sponsored by Seismic, shows that among survey respondents at organizations using AI for revenue-generating activities, 52% report more efficient processes, while just 11% report increased revenue or new revenue streams.
These findings represent an opportunity to help teams use the time they gain to improve the customer conversations and decisions that influence revenue.
As Gabe Sweet, Vice President of Revenue Enablement at ZoomInfo, explains, "When we first rolled out AI functionality, it was very much with a push to increase efficiency and productivity. Now it's about, 'How do we actually drive outcomes for the business?'"
Time saved creates room for better revenue execution
Sellers gain valuable time back when AI helps them prepare for meetings and draft follow-up emails, but they can make a greater impact when it also helps them understand a customer's priorities, respond to objections and build a credible business case.
Sales teams at scaled organizations need to understand which activities help customers move forward and apply that insight to their work, but greater output alone won't achieve that.
Michelle Calcutt, Head of Client Group Services at Royal London Asset Management, saw this challenge firsthand in the company's client-facing content:
By examining content performance across buyer touchpoints, Royal London Asset Management gained a clearer understanding of what was working and where to focus its effort, helping teams make better decisions about what to create and share.
Human judgment gives AI-enabled go-to-market work its value
The next advantage comes from helping people apply expertise and judgment more consistently in the customer moments that influence revenue.
Independent research conducted by Seismic in 2026 reinforces why this matters: 75% of senior leaders say they trust human guidance more when it conflicts with AI-generated information. Buyers still need someone who can interpret competing inputs and explain what they mean for their business.
With trusted AI, sellers can bring that context to the conversation, by surfacing relevant information and customer insights, giving sellers a stronger foundation for asking useful questions, weighing trade-offs and guiding a decision.
The Harvard Business Review Analytic Services research also underscores the importance of these skills: 55% of AI adopters* identify critical thinking and judgment among the most important skills revenue-generating employees need to get value from AI.
Make the connection to revenue
For GTM leaders, the opportunity is to move beyond helping teams work faster to helping them engage customers more effectively. That means equipping people to interpret information, apply their expertise to each customer's situation, and act with sound judgment.
Trusted information, learning and coaching, and clear governance can help make that capability consistent across the team, connecting AI investment to stronger revenue execution.
Download the full Harvard Business Review Analytic Services report, Unlocking AI's Revenue Potential, to explore the barriers holding businesses back and the steps leaders can take to turn AI adoption into better revenue execution.
*AI adopters are survey respondents who say their organization is using or considering using AI for revenue-generating functions.