Lever Talent Report Shows AI Value Depends on Clear Ownership

BOSTON, Oct. 22, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Lever Talent, Inc., a company that helps organizations align their technology, programs, and people in their human-AI workforce transformation, has released a new report that sheds light on the critical role of ownership in the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) with human workforces.

According to the findings, 45% of mid-market companies have no single owner responsible for how people and AI work together. This lack of ownership is a significant factor in the gap between AI adoption and its perceived value. Drew Fortin, Founder and CEO of Lever Talent, highlighted that while 97% of companies have adopted AI, only 28% consider it extremely valuable. This discrepancy is attributed to the absence of a designated owner for the human-AI mix.

The report identifies the Workforce Orchestrator™ as the named leader accountable for how people and AI work together. Companies with a primary owner of the human-AI mix are 2.5 times as likely to call AI extremely valuable. Furthermore, these companies are 5.5 times as likely to report AI as extremely valuable compared to those where no one owns the mix. This suggests that clear ownership and deliberate design of the human-AI relationship can significantly enhance the perceived value of AI.

Another key finding is that companies investing only in AI technology reach extreme value 6% of the time. In contrast, those investing across technology, programs, and people reach extreme value 50% of the time, a 8.3x difference. This indicates that a holistic approach to AI integration, involving both technology and human elements, is crucial for maximizing its value.

The report also emphasizes the importance of designing the division of labor between people and AI. Companies where the division of labor is clear and someone owns catching AI's errors are 5.7 times as likely to report extreme value. However, half of the companies have not done this work, highlighting a significant gap in best practices.

Lever Talent commissioned the research, with Port Research designing the research strategy and Researchscape fielding the survey through a third-party online panel from August 17 to September 14, 2026. The full report is available as a free download on the company's website.

These findings underscore the importance of clear ownership and deliberate design in the integration of AI with human workforces. Companies that fail to address these critical aspects risk underutilizing the potential of AI, while those that do are more likely to reap significant benefits.