Driving AI Innovation by Shifting Focus to Customer-Centric Engineering

2026-05-11 · MIT Tech Review AI · Original

A recent study by McKinsey reveals that companies are not fully capitalizing on their digital investments, with less than one-third of expected value being realized. This shortfall largely stems from the common practice among large organizations of starting with their existing technological capabilities. Instead of prioritizing customer needs and developing solutions that cater to those needs, they often add applications to existing tech, resulting in disjointed and ineffective solutions. To foster genuine innovation in AI, businesses must adopt a customer-back approach, ensuring that technology serves to enhance customer experience and satisfaction. By aligning technological advancements with customer expectations, organizations can unlock greater value from their digital initiatives.