Qlik & IDC Unveil AI Readiness Gaps Hindering Enterprise Adoption

Qlik®, a global data integration, data quality, analytics, and artificial intelligence company, unveiled key findings from an IDC survey that explores the challenges and opportunities organizations face in adopting advanced AI technologies. The survey highlights a significant gap between ambition and execution, revealing that while 89% of organizations have updated their data strategies to embrace Generative AI, only 26% have successfully deployed solutions at scale.

The findings, shared in an IDC InfoBrief sponsored by Qlik, underscore the critical need for improved data governance, scalable infrastructure, and analytics readiness to fully unlock AI’s transformative potential. As businesses globally rush to integrate AI into their workflows—AI is projected to contribute $19.9 trillion to the global economy by 2030—readiness gaps could derail progress. Organizations are increasingly focusing on building the foundational data ecosystems required for long-term success.

Key Survey Findings:

• AI Readiness Gap: Despite 80% of organizations investing in Agentic AI workflows, only 12% feel confident that their infrastructure supports autonomous decision-making.
• Data as a Strategic Asset: Organizations that treat data as a product are 7x more likely to deploy Generative AI solutions at scale, illustrating the value of curated and accountable data ecosystems.
• Embedded Analytics Growth: While 94% of organizations are embedding or planning to embed analytics into enterprise applications, only 23% have achieved integration across most of their applications.
• Generative AI’s Influence: A striking 89% of organizations have revamped their data strategies in response to Generative AI, demonstrating its growing strategic impact.
• AI Integration Bottleneck: While 73% of organizations have integrated Generative AI into analytics solutions, only 29% have fully deployed these capabilities.

Stewart Bond, Research VP for Data Integration and Intelligence at IDC, commented on the findings: “Generative AI has sparked widespread excitement, but our findings reveal a significant readiness gap. Businesses must address core challenges like data accuracy and governance to ensure AI workflows deliver sustainable, scalable value.”

James Fisher, Chief Strategy Officer at Qlik, added, “AI’s potential hinges on how effectively organizations manage and integrate their AI value chain. Businesses that fail to build systems for delivering trusted, actionable insights will quickly fall behind competitors moving toward scalable AI-driven innovation.”

The survey emphasizes the urgency for businesses to close the gap between ambition and execution by focusing on governance, infrastructure, and leveraging data as a strategic asset. To capitalize on AI’s full potential, organizations must move beyond experimentation and address foundational AI readiness gaps.

With these findings, the IDC survey highlights how addressing these gaps will enable businesses to unlock the transformative power of AI, driving long-term success.