From ROI to ROH – a New Perspective on AI

Based on my previous post “Insights from Tech Blueprint”, I want to dive deeper into a thought — a new perspective on AI that also came up in several conversations afterward.

During Tech Blueprint, one of the speakers stated that Return on Investment is always about money, that success is measured in profit or cost savings. But during the coffee break, I ended up in a conversation that challenged that view.

We talked about AI as something more than a tool for efficiency. As a technology that can free human time and energy, and help us do the things that truly feel meaningful. Maybe it’s time to broaden the concept. Maybe the return of the future is something entirely different: Return on Happiness.

AI as a Tool for Self-Actualization

AI isn’t about replacing us — it’s about freeing us. When technology takes over the monotonous tasks, we gain time for the things that require empathy, creativity, and imagination.

These are the things that sit at the top of the needs pyramid: self-actualization. AI can become the tool that allows more people to create, learn, and live fully.

What would you do if AI enabled self-actualization for you?

When Robots Replace Shortages — and Create Balance

Robots and automation can step in where the workforce is shrinking: in logistics, transport, and routine work. For some, that sounds threatening. But in practice, it can be the key to a more sustainable society.

The Human in the Transformation

For someone working as a driver or in a warehouse today, the thought of robotization can understandably feel worrying. But from a broader perspective, it opens the door to something new — people can move into roles where human qualities are truly needed: in healthcare, education, innovation, and creative work.

When technology handles the repetitive, we can invest our energy into what is relational and creative.And if robots can fill the gaps where resources are decreasing, we no longer need to rely on constant population growth to keep the economy running.

At its core, this means that a declining population no longer needs to be a threat to the economy — but an opportunity for balance. When our welfare isn’t built on endless growth, both people and the planet can thrive.

It changes everything: less pressure on natural resources, less overproduction, and the possibility of societies that live in harmony with both people and the environment.

AI frees human capacity and opens the door to a more sustainable way of living.

From Efficiency to Meaning

For so long, we’ve chased Return on Investment: more, faster, cheaper. But what do we really gain from more efficiency — other than maybe money?

AI can help us shift focus from how much we do to why we do it.When technology frees up time, we can invest it in what creates meaning: relationships, creativity, reflection, and learning.

This is where Return on Happiness comes in — a new way of looking at value. It’s not about numbers, but about quality of life. About how much well-being and meaning we get back from the time we invest.

A New Kind of Return

To me, AI isn’t about efficiency. It’s about evolution.From ROI to ROH.From investment to happiness.From production to purpose.

Maybe the greatest return from AI isn’t economic, but existential. That technology allows us to become more human.

This has sparked additional reflections that I encourage you to think about:

• Is it time for the consulting industry to leave traditional time reporting behind and instead move toward models where billing is based on delivery and value — rather than hours?

• For employees whose tasks today consist of repetitive work — what new, value-creating roles and responsibilities can we offer to ensure they become part of the AI journey rather than resist it?

• If technology makes some jobs “redundant,” how do we build a culture where human worth is no longer tied to a job title?

• What would happen to the pace of innovation if more people had time to follow their curiosity instead of chasing deadlines?

Author

Ida Martinsson - Sales & Marketing Manager, Cyber Instincts

Further Reading

Ida’s Insights from Tech Blueprint 2025 – How We Build AI-Ready Organizations (Gothenburg Tech Week)

FAQ

1. What does “Return on Happiness” mean?

   “Return on Happiness” (ROH) describes the human return on technology — how AI can free time and energy for creativity, meaning, and well-being.

   Instead of measuring success in economic terms, ROH asks how much quality of life, joy, and balance we gain from the time and energy we invest.

2. How can AI contribute to increased happiness and meaning?

   AI can take over repetitive and time-consuming tasks, freeing up time for people to focus on what feels meaningful — relationships, creativity, learning, and innovation.

3. 
   

   Used consciously, technology can increase our sense of meaning by enabling us to spend our energy on work and activities that bring real value — personally and societally.

   
   

4. What does population decline have to do with AI?

   A declining population has long been seen as a threat to economic growth.

   But with AI and robotization, we can maintain productivity even as the workforce shrinks. Technology can fill gaps where resources are becoming scarce — such as in logistics, transport, and healthcare — meaning societies no longer need constant population growth to function.

   
   

   This can reduce environmental strain and create a more sustainable balance between people, nature, and the economy.This future is still far ahead — but possible.

   
   

5. Can AI really contribute to greater happiness and meaning in life?

   Yes — but only if we use the technology consciously. AI does not create happiness by itself, but it can reduce stress, free up time, and increase opportunities for self-actualization.

6. 
   

   When we let AI handle what drains us, we get more room for what inspires us.

   Happiness isn’t about doing more — it’s about doing the right things. And AI can be a powerful enabler.

   
   

7. Which tasks can robots take over — and what can people do instead?

   Robots and AI are already strong in areas that require precision, repetition, and logic — and in the future, they can take over much of logistics, manufacturing, transport, admin, and data processing.

   
   

   Humans, however, are irreplaceable in everything that requires emotion, empathy, creativity, and holistic thinking.

   
   

   That means the future labor market can free people for roles built on innovation, care, education, communication, and creation — everything that makes us genuinely human.