72% of data leaders fear failure to adopt AI will result in competitive disadvantage

Data leaders continue to face ongoing challenges with the rapid evolution of technology as 74% of organisations report they have implemented some AI-based solutions, yet only 33% have embedded them company-wide.

Data leaders anticipate AI-led benefits but struggle with institutional constraints

The findings in the Ataccama Data Trust Report 2025: Trustworthy AI Strategies for Data Visionaries indicate blockers for AI adoption include data privacy and security concerns (43%), high maintenance costs (37%) and steep implementation costs (33%).

Despite this, the consequences of not implementing AI weigh heavily on 54% of all respondents and, in particular, 72% of data strategy decision-makers, who worry it will cost them their competitive edge.

Among the anticipated benefits of AI, 57% believe it will transform customer services (57%); this was pronounced in smaller organisations with annual revenues under $1 billion (73%) and in enterprises at more advanced stages of AI adoption (71%).

Data leaders are also optimistic about AI's impact for transforming product and services innovation (42%) and marketing and sales (39%), which indicates why exploring AI is a data management priority for data strategy primary decision-makers (54%).

Trustworthy AI relies on clean, quality data, so it's unsurprising that heads of data cite improving data quality and accuracy (51%) to be an immediate priority, and also report that managing large volumes of data (30%) is among the top challenges CDOs face in their organisations today.

Mike McKee, Chief Executive Officer, Ataccama, said, "In today's AI-powered world, having trustworthy data will enable organisations to use AI tools to accelerate outcomes like operational efficiency, customer service innovation, and competitive differentiation, and transform external forces like regulatory compliance into strategic advantages. For this reason, data trust is not just the foundation of successful AI implementation - it's the engine that supports thriving, future-ready businesses. Improving data quality and accuracy emerges as a top priority for business and data leaders next year, as organisations capitalise on data quality to ensure better internal reporting, fuel improved decision-making capabilities, and seize competitive advantage."

Insurers anticipate competitive and efficiency gains from AI

While data quality is a top data management priority for 51% of respondents, it is significantly higher for insurance companies at 68%. Insurers view improved operational efficiency (68%) as a key driver for AI adoption, also reporting that increased efficiency and productivity (74%) and increased competitive advantage (51%) are some of the top anticipated benefits of AI usage. Although data leaders in insurance have a high level of executive support for their programs, a number do report a degree of resistance from COOs, Chief Digital Officers, and Chief Analytics Officers (15% each).

Legacy systems throttle AI initiatives in healthcare organisations

Healthcare organisations are particularly likely to face AI-related challenges. While nearly half (45%) rank AI implementation as a hurdle, 50% of healthcare respondents struggle to keep up with rapid technological advances overall with integrating legacy systems (63%) a particular obstacle in this sector.

Despite these challenges, their outlook remains positive with 58% viewing AI as a pivotal tool for predictive analytics, enhancing data analysis and decision-making processes.

With the high volume of sensitive data collected in healthcare organisations, ethical considerations are a key issue for respondents in this industry, ranking as a concern for 39% compared to one-fifth (19%) of all respondents. This does not interfere with implementation, however, as the primary drivers for AI adoption in healthcare are considered to be improved operational efficiency (52%) and enhanced decision-making (42%), while for a quarter (26%) of respondents, reducing human error is a key motivation. The primary anticipated benefit of adoption is innovation (45%).

"With 77% of companies implementing some form of AI reporting successful projects, it's clear that AI investment promises to deliver results for most organisations. This indicates that those yet to scale AI usage or build robust strategies risk falling behind competitors who are already using AI effectively to drive efficiency, innovation and growth. The variation between sector-specific drivers and anticipated benefits of AI illustrates how organisations are starting to apply it to specific industry use cases such as fraud detection in banking or improved diagnostics in healthcare. Ataccama is in a strong position to help these organisations make decisions faster with trusted data with our Ataccama ONE unified platform," said Jay Limburn, Chief Product Officer, Ataccama.