New research reveals a wide gap between AI adoption and outcomes. According to Nasuni’s annual “State of Enterprise File Data” report, 97% of organizations have deployed or are piloting AI agents, yet 57% of AI projects are not reported to be delivering their objectives. A while nearly all organizations are at least piloting AI agents, only 18% have deployed them at scale, underscoring a disconnect between ambition and scaling.
Among the shortfalls to achieving both objectives and scale in AI projects are data-related challenges, with nearly all enterprises (94%) struggling to manage unstructured data, which comprises the majority of their data footprint. Among the 90% of organizations reporting barriers to scaling AI, top challenges include data security concerns (43%), integration roadblocks (36%), and lack of trust in data (33%).
Nearly half (46%) of organizations say AI initiatives have revealed issues with data quality and governance, while 79% report inconsistent file access and performance across locations, contributing to widespread challenges scaling AI.
“Enterprises are moving fast on AI projects, but most aren’t getting the results they want,” said Sam King, CEO at Nasuni. “What this report makes clear is that AI success depends on how well you manage and prepare your data. Too many organizations are still relying on outdated approaches to unstructured data management, limiting their ability to unlock its full value.
Proprietary, operational data is among an organizations greatest asset, but only if it’s accessible and ready, continued King. “At a time of rising hardware costs, supply risk, and growing complexity, getting your data house in order is the ultimate no-regrets move — and it’s exactly where we’ve been investing to help customers turn AI ambition into AI results.”
Currently, only 16% of respondents prioritize unstructured data management as a core IT investment, but 60% plan to invest during the next 18 months, showed Nasuni’s findings. THis reflecting growing recognition of the role proprietary, operational data plays in driving desirable business outcomes with AI, said the company.
