Should you automate this task?

AI-Threshold is a free decision sandbox for small businesses. Tell it about a repetitive task and it works out whether automating it actually pays off: payback period, hours freed, and a plain-language verdict that is willing to say no.

What it models

Unlike most ROI calculators, AI-Threshold accounts for the two things that sink automation decisions: how long setup really takes (it routinely overruns 2–3×), and how much of the task a human still has to do afterwards. It then discounts the time you free up by how much of it you can realistically convert into money.

The verdicts

• Automate it. Worth doing, and it pays back comfortably inside your window.
• Probably worth it. The maths says yes, but the margin is thin or uncertain.
• Not yet. It would pay back, just not inside your horizon.
• Don't. It'll change first. An off-the-shelf tool will likely do this before a custom build pays for itself.
• Not worth it. Running it automated costs more than you would save.

Build, buy, or delegate

Automating it yourself is not the only option. AI-Threshold compares building a custom automation, buying an off-the-shelf tool, delegating to someone at a lower rate, and simply keeping it by hand, then recommends the best net value.

Honest about uncertainty

Instead of a false-precision number, it runs a Monte-Carlo simulation across plausible input ranges and reports the probability that the automation pays back in time, plus which input moves the result most.

Learn more: about · FAQ · methodology & sources.