Expert explains why AI productivity gains are not leading to business growth

Amid the growing use of automation, many large companies are investing in artificial intelligence and conducting staff reductions. Nevertheless, the company Anthropic is ready to offer 32.5 million rupees for text-writing related work. This is surprising because what a person does in an hour, AI can do in mere seconds.

Artificial intelligence can write an email in a few seconds or create a blog draft in minutes, helping companies produce content on a scale that previously required an entire team. Because of this, many authors are questioning the value of their work if machines start writing.

Despite the emergence of AI, Anthropic has opened a special vacancy. For this position, the company offers an annual salary ranging from $295,000 to $345,000 USD, which is equivalent to approximately 2.5 to 3.25 crore rupees. However, this position is not intended for ordinary writers. The candidate must have at least eight years of experience in executive communication, working with senior management.

A natural question arises: why would Anthropic pay such money if AI can perform the job? The answer lies in the fact that the employee in this position will work directly with the company's top management. They will be responsible for preparing messages to convey the company's position to the public at important moments and explaining complex issues in simple terms. This requires not only good writing skills but also the ability to think strategically and provide balanced answers when necessary.

This job goes beyond simply writing articles for websites or product descriptions. It requires a specialist capable of deeply analyzing problems, predicting the impact of a message on the audience, and helping leaders decide what and how to communicate.

Anthropic is not the only AI company offering high salaries to writing and communications specialists. In September 2025, OpenAI also announced a vacancy related to content strategy, with an annual package of around $400,000. The employee in this role was tasked with improving the brand awareness of ChatGPT, creating content, and collaborating with engineers and designers.

However, this does not mean that salaries in the writing field are rising everywhere. It only indicates that some AI companies value experienced specialists who possess strategic planning skills, an understanding of people's needs, and the ability to simplify complex topics, in addition to good writing.

There is another side to the coin. In June 2023, one content writer reported that after the appearance of ChatGPT, some of his clients stopped commissioning him work. He specialized in writing content for websites and product descriptions, which can now be quickly created using AI tools, intensifying pressure on such tasks.

Thus, on one hand, experienced communications specialists are offered high-paying positions, while on the other hand, some freelancers involved in general content find it harder to find work. However, this does not mean that all entry-level writing positions are disappearing or that any senior author's job is guaranteed protection. The influence of AI depends on the type of work performed and the client's willingness to pay for it.

The author's task is not only to create content but also to verify the accuracy of information, identify missing details, and assess the material's suitability for readers. A report for September 2025 mentioned work related to correcting errors and improving AI-generated content.

This shows that humans may still be needed to check and refine AI-generated drafts. However, it cannot be assumed that the professions of editor and fact-checker are completely safe, as AI tools can assist in these tasks as well. Consequently, it becomes critically important for authors not only to write drafts but also to find errors, confirm information, and add necessary context.

The Anthropic vacancy is not suitable for all authors, as it is a high-level position requiring many years of experience. Therefore, it cannot be concluded that everyone can earn such a salary in the writing field. For those aiming to build a career in journalism, copywriting, or corporate communications, not only good writing skills but also research abilities, fact-checking, subject matter understanding, and critical thinking are important. Mastering the proper use of AI tools may also prove useful.

Authors who can use AI to speed up their work while simultaneously verifying information, performing quality editing, and applying their own original thinking will be able to adapt to the changing work environment.

For companies implementing artificial intelligence, key questions are not only about choosing a model but also about where the AI operates, its cost, and the ability to keep confidential data under the company's control. PeakVision AI offers a solution that involves moving most of the AI tasks inside the enterprise.

The company's system considers the task, rather than an individual application, as the main unit of work: users state a goal, and AI agents perform the necessary steps in a local computing environment. Co-founder and CTO Liangyu Nie told TechNode that PeakVision AI was founded in 2024, overcoming two major obstacles to AI adoption in corporations: the complexity of technology deployment and concerns over data security.

In March 2026, the company opened its headquarters in Hangzhou and received government support for research and development amounting to 15 million yuan. In May, it presented its first enterprise systems and completed an initial funding round, followed by a second round worth tens of millions of yuan in August.

PeakVision AI creates an enterprise AI stack that integrates locally deployed computing, FengKan AIOS, and AI agent services. This system is designed to focus on how agents complete tasks, rather than how people move between different applications. As Nie noted, users no longer need to load different applications; they just need to tell the AI what they want via a chat window, and it will do the work.

The startup's central thesis is that enterprise software will increasingly be structured around intent and execution, rather than menus, files, and separate applications. The company plans to make FengKan AIOS open source by the end of October. PeakVision AI monetizes through hardware, subscriptions, and custom enterprise AI implementations. The company's broader goal is to transform project-specific work into universal solutions for various industries.

FengKan AIOS supports third-party hardware, while PeakVision AI takes a selective approach to its skills ecosystem. Nie clarified that users' end skills, which may contain proprietary workflows, will remain untouched. However, more generalized skills created by partners and leading engineers can be released to the market.

Currently, the company is testing its model through the FDE academy, launched by Shanghai Sixunited Intelligent Technology with support from Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). AMD provides computing hardware, technical toolchains, and resources for projects. PeakVision AI also collaborates with chip manufacturers in early product development stages to optimize costs and performance, including a partnership with ChangXin Memory Technologies to reduce memory costs.

Unlike companies such as Wonderful, which target large, often regulated organizations and provide them with AI platforms and implementation teams, PeakVision AI targets small and medium-sized businesses. Nie emphasized that these enterprises face the same problems—costs, technical complexity, and data security—but have fewer resources to solve them. PeakVision AI uses inexpensive hardware from the Chinese supply chain so that each implementation becomes a repeatable solution for similar clients.

Nie stated:

The period of rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in corporate boards is coming to an end. Although the technology has become a regular topic of discussion in leadership, the more complex task is proving that investments in technology and AI actually generate measurable business value.

Major South African financial institutions are increasingly presenting AI, data, and digital capabilities not just as operational tools, but as growth drivers. For example, Nedbank stated in its 2025 integrated report: 'AI is not a future question, but a current strategic priority.' Similarly, Old Mutual emphasized in its 2025 report: 'Our goal is clear: we are transforming Old Mutual by implementing AI at scale, unlocking new opportunities for growth, efficiency, and exceptional customer experience.'

Capitec noted in its 2026 annual report that AI is already actively used, as the company has significantly invested in this area this year. Absa indicated in its integrated report that 'digital capability is a key driver of future cash flows, customer retention, competitive differentiation, and economic efficiency.' Margaret Nienaber, COO of Standard Bank Group, stated that AI 'is not an option; it will fundamentally change how customers interact with us, how work is done, and how value is created.'

These companies promote a growth narrative during a time when finding profitable growth is becoming difficult. According to the South African Reserve Bank's Quarterly Bulletin for September 2026, corporate deposits exceeded 1.8 trillion rand, compared to 1.1 trillion rand in 2019, indicating that companies are accumulating cash rather than finding opportunities to invest it. Under these conditions, executives are striving to use technology not only to replace outdated systems, modernize old platforms, or increase efficiency, but also to achieve their most critical strategic goal—sustainable and profitable growth.

However, saying it is easier than doing it. Financial institutions have always relied on technology, but previously, technology was rarely the product itself. Growth was achieved through entering new markets, launching new products, or increasing customer share. Today, however, customers increasingly interact with businesses through digital channels, making technology, data, and AI central both to value creation and to ensuring competitive advantages.

Those who have faced the need to justify technology investments know this situation. The investment committee evaluates such proposals, trying to avoid double-counting benefits and conduct a proper comparison. Ultimately, cost remains the only measure with any degree of accuracy, and even that is questionable. Therefore, budgets are allocated based on presentation or speaker influence. At best, the technology 'aligns' with strategic goals and is justified as an 'enabling factor.'

Rarely Tracked

Even with a convincing business case calculating return on investment, benefits are rarely tracked. Projects are easily postponed in favor of the next idea that seems valuable, which makes no sense given the amount invested in changes. Douglas Hubbard, Alexander Budzer, and Andreas Lied in the book 'How to Measure Anything in Project Management' (Wiley, 2025) suggest that project costs account for approximately 10–40% of the global economy.

The opportunity now lies in embedding measurement directly into digital products and customer journeys: instrumenting them. In rare cases where this is done, it provides valuable feedback on the actual usage and value of digital and AI investments, applying the same level of tracking that retailers use for physical goods.

Tracking benefits is also important when managing technology providers. Hyperscale cloud providers, software platforms, and AI vendors position their products as a source of competitive advantage. Organizations need proof to distinguish real value creation from mere technology consumption.

Most financial sector leaders are already investing in technology and AI. The more complex question is where these investments will lead to a sustainable competitive advantage, and where they will simply increase costs. Measuring strategic investments in AI and technology is as critical as measuring any other significant investment. Technology can do this automatically and continuously, in real time, if measurement is built into it from the start, closing the critical feedback loop for boards of directors and executive committees.