Cost used to scare IT managers away from spending big on artificial intelligence (AI) agents. Not anymore.
The biggest barrier to entry now is data readiness, a new survey shows, as nearly every large tech company plunges into the market this month.
Breaking from previous surveys, enterprise decision makers are more concerned with data preparedness (61%) than cost (10%) as their primary worry, according to a new study of 100 enterprise decision-makers across the U.S. and UK from Sinequa by ChapsVision.
Data readiness is the No. 1 topic, they said, because AI agents are an inevitability. A vast majority (82%) are convinced AI is already boosting organizational productivity and two-thirds expect return on investment (ROI) from agents within five years. Yet, at the same time, 67% struggle with data security and compliance, and nearly half (47%) are being stymied by departmental silos.
“There is no doubt we’re racing toward an agent-driven future. As users grow more comfortable relying on AI for everyday tasks, and as organizations recognize AI as a long-term investment rather than an upfront expense, the demand for similar capabilities in the workplace will only accelerate,” Jeff Evernham, chief product officer at Sinequa by ChapsVision, said in a statement announcing the survey’s findings. “All the hype may be on GenAI, but the LLM model hype cycle moves fast… But if the data behind the model isn’t accurate, secure and accessible, none of it matters.”
Similarly, a new market survey from ZEDEDA shows that while edge AI is becoming a top priority (90%) for chief information officers, security remains its top challenge (30%). A hefty chunk (39%) of businesses with at least 500 employees report significant budget increases in multimodal AI, many of them in retail and manufacturing.
But things are likely to get more complicated amid wildly aggressive moves by Microsoft Corp., IBM Corp., Alphabet Inc.’s Google, SAP, Dell Inc., NVIDIA Corp., Salesforce Inc., Red Hat and ServiceNow Inc. in recent days to add agentic products and services in pursuit of enterprise sales. The cacophony of options has many IT executives in charge of the purse strings and laying down the infrastructure a bit overwhelmed and antsy.
“How do we drive business with data? That is the question we’re considering, and AI agents is part of the puzzle,” John Schelble, senior vice president and head of consumer analytics platform at Wells Fargo Bank, said in a panel interview in San Francisco on Tuesday afternoon.
Usama Fayyad, former chief data officer at Barclays, who is now executive director, Institute for Experiential AI, at Northeastern University, estimates AI agents will be deployed across 80% of enterprise operations in some capacity within a year. But, he adds, their effective use hinges on practical training of employees, property security measures and all-important trust.
“There needs to be hands-on training of employees,” Fayyad said. “Because the technology is coming. Executives and shareholders want it now.”
