For the past two years, Wall Street has embraced a simple AI investment thesis: the more companies adopt artificial intelligence, the more productive they become.

That narrative has helped propel Nvidia Corp.

(NASDAQ:NVDA) to the center of the market's AI boom.

But some early signs suggest there may be a catch.

AI Adoption Doesn't Automatically Mean Lower Costs One of the biggest promises surrounding generative AI has been its ability to help companies do more with fewer people.