CDO洞察2026：AI进入数据治理时代

Informatica

fromSalesforce

Report

CDOInsights2026

DatagovernanceandthetrustparadoxofdataandAlliteracytakecenterstage

Wheredata&AIcometo

CDOInsights2026:DatagovemanceandthetrustparadoxofdataandAlliteracytakecenterstage

Contents

ExecutiveSummary

KeyFindings

MakingRoomforAl

Spotlight:OrganizationsEyeCustomerExperienceEnhancementswithAl

TakingAlfromPilottoProduction

Spotlight:ImprovementstoDataandResourcesAreAidingGenAISuccess

TheNeedtoTemperEmployeeTrust

GoverningAlforConfidenceinResponsibleUse

DataManagementInvestments

VendorSupport

Conclusion

AboutWakefieldResearch

MethodologyNotes

AboutInformatica

AboutSalesforce

AboutDeloitte

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

12

13

14

15

15

16

16

16

CDOInsights2026:DatagovemanceandthetrustparadoxofdataandAlliteracytakecenterstage

ExecutiveSummary

Themomenthascome:Alhastransitionedfromexperimentaltechnologytoastrategic,transformationalimperative.Nowcomesthehardpart.

Withorganizationsexploringusecasesandsteeringinitiativestowardproduction,manyarediscoveringthat

thegrowing,widespreaduseofAlattheircompaniesisexposinginfrastructureandgovernancegapsaswellas

shortfallsinemployees'dataliteracyandAlliteracy.TheenthusiasmaroundAlisbeingtemperedbytherealizationthattherearehigh-stakeschallengesaheadthatneedtobeaddressedifongoingandfutureAlinitiativesareto

continuefindingsuccess.Manyareembracingthemindsetthatgoingall-inonAlistheonlywaytomakeitwork.

Aladoptionhasreachedatippingpointatcompanies,with69%havingincorporatedgenerativeAl(GenAl)intotheirbusinesspracticesandanother25%expectingtodosointhenext12months,accordingtoasurveyof600dataleaders(CDOs,CDAOsandCAOs)fromcompanieswith$500M+inrevenueacrosstheU.S.,UK/EUandAPAC

conductedbyWakefieldResearchforInformatica.

That'sasharprisefrom48%whohadadoptedGenAllastyearand45%whohadadoptedittheyearprior.

AgenticAl,seenbymanyasanimportantnextstepinAluse-movingfromcontentcreationtoautonomousexecutionanddecisionmaking-isfollowingsuitwithnearlyhalf(47%)alreadyhavingadoptedthetechnology.

WhiletherearenumerousfactorsthatcanultimatelymakeorbreakthesuccessofanAlinitiative,notgroundingtheinitiativeinhighqualitydataandastrongunderlyingdatamanagementfoundationcandestroyaprojectbeforeittakesoff.Themajority(61%)citebetterdata-includinghigherdataqualityandcompleteness-asafactor

thatismakingiteasiertosuccessfullytransitionmoreoftheirGenAlpilotsintoproduction.Thatsaid,thejobisfarfromfinished:amongdataleadersatcompaniesthathaveadoptedorplantoadoptagenticAl,half(50%)citedataquality/retrievalconcernsasatopchallengeformovingAlagentsintoproduction.

AsAlinitiativesspread,there'sanotherwidespreadconcernondataleaders'minds:75%believetheirworkforce

needsupskillingindataliteracyand74%inAlliteracytoresponsiblyuseAlorAloutputsinday-to-day

operations.Withinorganizations,however,trustinthedatabeingusedtodriveAlishigh:65%ofdataleaders

believemost,alloralmostallemployeesattheircompanytrustthedatatheyhaveandareusingforAl.Butthat

hightrustisacauseforconcernwhenthereareunderlyingdatareliabilityproblemsanddataandAlliteracy

gapspreventingworkersfrombeingabletorecognizeandaddressthepotentialshortcomingsofthedatabeingusedfortheirAlefforts.

Inaddition,76%acknowledgetheircompany'svisibilityandgovernancehavenotcompletelykeptupwith

employees'useofAl,whichcouldincreaseexposureissuesforcompaniesalreadygrapplingwithvulnerabilities.

ThegreatpushtoembracethetransformationalpossibilitiesofAlcompanywideincreasestheriskscompaniesaretakingiftheydon'thavetheirdatahousesinorder.Ascompanieslooktothefuture,86%willincreasedatamanagementinvestmentstohelpnavigatethetrustparadoxandaddressissuesrangingfromdataprivacyandsecuritytoAlvisibilityandgovernanceaswellaslaggingemployeedataandAlliteracy.

3

CDOInsights2026:DatagovemanceandthetrustparadoxofdataandAlliteracytakecenterstage

KeyFindings

TheCurrentStateofAl

AdoptionofGenAl

47%

69%

45%

2024

48%

61%

20262025

TheTrustParadox

WorkforceUpskillingforResponsibleAIUse

50%

75%74%

76%

DataliteracyAlliteracy

haveadoptedagenticAl

believebetterdataismakingiteasiertogetGenAlpilotsintoproduction

comparedtoayearago

ofthoseusingorplanningtoadoptagenticAlseedataquality/retrievalconcernsasamajorchallengeto

gettingAlagentsintoproduction

indicatetheircompany'svisibilityandgovernancehavenotcompletelykeptpacewithemployees'useofAl

ThePathForward

NeedsDrivingCompanies'Increased

InvestmentsinDataandAIManagement

86%

willincreasetheirdata

managementinvestments

intheyearahead

Improvingdataprivacyandsecurity ImprovingdataandAlgovernance Improvingdataliteracy/Alfluency

43%41%

39%

CDOInsights2026:DatagovemanceandthetrustparadoxofdataandAlliteracytakecenterstage

AsadoptionrampsupforagenticAl,there'sasplit

amongcompanieswhoveadoptedorplantoadoptagenticAlonhowthey'llmanageordeployAlagents.For54%,expectationsarethatit'llbedonewithvendorsolutionswhile44%expecttodevelopandmanageAlagentsinternally.

MakingRoomforAl

AdoptionisspeedingupforGenAl,and

agenticAltechnologiesarefollowingsuit

GenAladoptionhasjumpedto69%.Incomparison,fromtwoyearsagotolastyear,thosewhosaid

theircompanyhadadoptedGenAlintoitsbusiness

practiceshadonlyincreasedfrom45%to48%.That

CompaniesfacechallengesgettingAlagentsinproduction

ramp-upisn'tover.Anadditional25%expecttheir

Dataquality/retrievalconcerns

Securityconcerns

LackofagenticAlexpertise

InsufficientorineffectivetoolsformanagingAlagents

Observabilityconcerns

LackofsafetyguardrailsforAluse

50%

43%

companytoadoptGenAlinthenext12months,leavingjust6%whodon'tanticipateusingGenAlbythistimenextyear.GenAladoptionishighestintheU.S.(75%,comparedto48%theyearprior),followedbytheUK/EUandAPAC(both66%,comparedto47%and51%in2025,respectively).

42%

39%

Morethan2in3havealreadyadoptedGenAl

39%

35%

AndmanyarecontinuingthistrendwithagenticAl

inthehopethatAlagentswillhelptheircompanies

ButaswithGenAl,datawillbeanimportantfactorforsuccess.Themostcommonchallengecurrentand

anticipatedadoptersofagenticAlciteinmigrating

agentsintoproductionisdataquality/retrieval

concerns(50%).Securityconcerns(43%),observabilityconcerns(39%)andlackofsafetyguardrailsforAluse(35%)arecommonchallengesaswell.

improvecustomerservicefunctions,streamlineworkprocessesandevencreatenewvirtualworkforce

teams,amongotherusecases.AgenticAlisstill

emerging,butnearlyhalf(47%)havealreadyadopteditandanadditional31%plantoadoptitinthenext12months.TheU.S.leadsthatadoptionat52%,followedcloselybytheUK/EU(50%)andtrailedbyAPAC(41%).However,anadditional24%ofdataleadersinAPAC

expecttoadoptagenticAlwithinthenextsixmonths.Largercompanieswith5,000ormoreemployeesaremorelikelytohavealreadyadoptedagenticAI(54%)thanthosewithfewerthan5,000employees(44%).

CDOInsights2026:DatagovemanceandthetrustparadoxofdataandAlliteracytakecenterstage

Spotlight:OrganizationsEyeCustomerExperienceEnhancementswithAl

SomeofthepromisesofAlincludeincreasedefficiencies,improvedprocessesandstrategyguidance,orprojectsthatdirectlydriverevenuegeneration,amongmanyothers.

Inconsideringthemostbeneficialusecasesforall

typesofAlattheirorganization,manyareprioritizingclient-focusedapplications.InrankingtheircompanystopthreeAlusecategoriesforthenext12months,

morethanaquarterincludeenhancingcustomer

experienceandloyalty(29%)andnearlyasmany(25%)citeoptimizingpost-salecustomersupport.

Lookingmoreinternally,companiesarealsoeyeing

Alinitiativestoimprovebusinessintelligenceanalyticsanddecisionmaking(28%),complywithregulatoryandESGstandards(27%)andimproveriskmanagement/fraudprevention(25%).

Employeeswon'tbeleftouteither,though,as

companieslookatAloptionsforenhancingemployeecollaborationandworkflows(26%)andoptimizing

employeeeducation/HRsupport(26%),aswellas

optimizinginternalbusiness-processefficiency(25%).

Enhancingcustomerexperienceandloyalty

Improvingbusinessintelligenceanalyticsanddecisionmaking ComplyingwithregulatoryandESGstandards

Enhancingemployeecollaborationandworkflows Optimizingemployeeeducation/HRsupport

Optimizingpost-salecustomersupport

Improvingriskmanagement/fraudprevention

Optimizinginternalbusiness-processefficiency

29%

28%

27%

26%

26%

25%

25%

25%

CDOInsights2026:DatagovemanceandthetrustparadoxofdataandAlliteracytakecenterstage

TakingAlfromPilottoProduction

LeadersaretakingstepstoimprovethereliabilityofthedatausedforAl

WiththetablesetforAlinitiatives,companiesare

Improvingworkflows arounddataand/orAlIncreasinginvestmentsinimprovingdataquality

Investingindataandmetadatacollectionandmanagement

Increasingthefrequencyofdataclicks Hiringorupskillingcurrentstaffinthisarea Hiringoutsideconsultantsorservices

59%

workingtoclearthepathtosuccessfulimplementationbyeliminatingbarrierstotakingideasandconcepts

54%

andturningthemintorevenue-generatingAlproductsorservicesandoperationalefficiencysolutions.

54%

BetterdataisacriticalfactorforAlsuccess.

Conversely,alackofdatareliabilitycanbeabarrier

53%

tomovinginitiativesfrompilottoproductionfor

organizationswhohavealreadyadoptedorplanto

47%

adoptGenAI.Amongthesecompanies,57%view

datareliabilityasatoporkeybarriertomovingmore

43%

projectsfrompilottoproduction.That'sonparwiththe56%whoindicatedthislastyear,suggestingthatthiscontinuestobeamajorissuethathasnotbeensolved.Thenumberwhoviewdatareliabilityasthetopbarrierhasincreasedslightlyfrom10%lastyearto12%now.

Toaddressthoseconcerns,they'retakingstepsto

improvereliabilityfordatausedinAlinitiativesin

Datareliability

remainsakey

barriertosuccess

severalways.Thatstartswithprocesschanges,suchasimprovingworkflowsarounddataand/orAI(59%)andincreasingthefrequencyofdatachecks(53%).

Someofthatinvolvesinvestments,includingadding

NowLastYear

fundstoimprovedataquality(54%)andinvestingin

Morethanhalfofdataleadersatcompanieswho'veadoptedorplantoadoptGenAI(56%)areveryor

extremelyconcernedaboutAlpilotsmovingforwardwithoutaddressingdatareliabilityproblemsuncoveredbypreviousinitiatives.

ThathighconcernismorepronouncedintheU.S.

(66%)thanintheUK/EU(50%)orAPAC(51%).

Largercompanieswith5,000ormoreemployeesaremorelikelytobeveryorextremelyconcerned(62%)thanthosewithfewerthan5,000(52%).

dataandmetadatacollectionandmanagement(54%).Andthentheresaddressingdatareliabilitywithpeople,byhiringorupskillingworkersinthisarea(47%)or

hiringoutsideconsultantsorservices(43%).

CDOInsights2025:RacingAheadonGenAI&DataInvestmentsWhileNavigatingPotentialSpeedBumps

Spotlight:ImprovementstoDataandResourcesAreAidingGenAISuccess

For61%,betterdata(datathat'shigher-qualityormorecomplete)ismakingiteasiertosuccessfullytransitionGenAlpilotsinto

productioncomparedtoayearago.Betterdataismorelikelyto

beafactorforsuccessintheUK/EU(67%)thanintheU.S.(53%);APACisinthemiddleat62%.

Othertopfactorseasingthesetransitionsincludeimproved

technologyresources(59%),increasedbuy-infromcompany

leaders(59%),morebudgetallocatedtoGenAI(56%)andmore

employeesbeingmadeavailabletosupporttheseinitiatives(51%).Increasedbuy-infromcompanyleadersisabiggerfactorforAl

successatcompanieswith$1billionormoreinrevenue(61%)thanthosewithlessthan$1billion(53%).

Betterdata(quality,completeness,etc.)

Improved

61%

59%

59%

56%

51%

technologyresourcesIncreasedbuy-infrom companyleaders MorebudgetallocatedtoGenAl

Morestaffavailableto

supporttheseinitiatives

CDOInsights2026:DatagovemanceandthetrustparadoxofdataandAlliteracytakecenterstage

Dataleadersseeupskillingneedsbeforetheir

employeesarereadytoresponsiblyuseAloritsoutputintheirday-to-dayoperations.Alargemajority(75%)believetheirworkforceneedsmoreupskillingindataliteracyand74%believetheiremployeesneedmoreupskillinginAlliteracy.Thoseatsmallercompanies,withunder5,000employees(61%),aremorelikely

toseeupskillingneedsinbothareasthanthoseatcompanieswith5,000ormoreemployees(41%).

UpskillingisalsoaconcernforagenticAladoption:

aroundtwoinfivedataleadersatcompaniesthathaveadoptedorplantoadoptagenticAlcitelackofagenticAlexpertise(42%)asabarriertogettingAlagents

intoproduction.

TheNeedtoTemperEmployeeTrust

Leadersmustgrapplewiththepotentially

blindtrusttheiremployeeshaveinthedatatheyareusingforAlandtherealityofknowndatareliability,securityandprivacygaps.

AsAlhasenteredthemainstream,becomingpartofeveryone'sworkandpersonallives,companiessee

hightrustamongtheiremployeesforthedatabeingusedforAl:65%workinorganizationswheremost,alloralmostalltheiremployeestrustthedatatheyhaveandareusingforAI.

Thisisespeciallytrueforcompaniesthathave

adoptedagenticAl,where74%believemostorall

MostfeelemployeesneedupskillingbeforetheycanresponsiblyuseAl

75%

Dataliteracy

trainingis

needed

54%

Needboth

74%

Alliteracy

trainingisneeded

theirorganizationtruststhedatatheyareusingforAlefforts.That'sasignalthatascompaniesgetfurtherrintotheirworkwithAl,theirtrustinthedatadrivingAlinitiatives,aswellasAlitself,ishigher.

What'sdrivingthisincreaseinAltrust?For42%,it's

thesheerfactthatAlisseeingmorewidespreaduseacrosstheirorganization.Similarly,nearlyhalf(48%)citeimprovedAltoolsandmodelsamongthetopthreereasonsforthattrustincreaseoverthelast12months,while44%notebetterresultsinAloutputs.Whilestillaconcernformany,anothertopdriverisincreased

Alliteracy(46%).

Yet,thishighleveloftrustisacauseforconcern.

CDOsmusttemperemployees'potentiallyblindtrustindataforAltoavoidcatastrophicrisks.

Leadersaremorelikelytoreportmostoralmostall

oftheiremployeestrustthedatabeingusedforAlatcompanieswheretheyalsobelievetheiremployeesneedbothdataliteracyandAlliteracyupskillingto

responsiblyuseAloritsoutputs(71%).Thiscomparesto60%atorganizationswhereworkersneedonly

Alliteracyupskillingand53%atorganizationswhereemployeesneedonlydataliteracyupskilling.

Thus,someofthathightrustinAlmaybedue

toalackofunderstandingaboutwhatconstituteshigh-qualitydatainthefirstplace.

CDOInsights2026:DatagovemanceandthetrustparadoxofdataandAlliteracytakecenterstage

GoverningAlforConfidenceinResponsibleUse

Alispushingpastthetippingpointofadoption.Asthishappens,visibilityandgovernanceonhowemployeesuseitareparamount.Theseconcernsarecritical,bothforreducingriskandforsolvingtheunderlyingissuesholdingAleffortsback.That'sespeciallytruegiven

thepotentiallymisplacedtrustemployeeshaveinthedatabeingusedforAI.For41%ofthoseincreasingtheirinvestmentsindatamanagementthisyear,

improvingdataandAlgovernanceisatopneeddrivingthisincrease.

DataandAlgoalswilldrivedata

43%

41%

39%

38%

managementinvestmentsDataprivacyandsecurityDataandAlgovernanceDataliteracy/Alfluency

OperationalprocessestomanageAl

Alcomeswithhighstakes,soit'stroublingthatmanycompaniesaren'tfullyawareofhowemployeesat

theirorganizationsareusingit.They'realsostrugglingtokeepupwithgovermanceframeworks,especially

givenhowquicklythesetechnologiesaremoving.Morethanthree-quartersofdataleaders(76%)indicate

theircompany'svisibilityandAlgovernancehasnotcompletelykeptpacewithemployees'useofAI.

Howcanthisbeimproved?Nearlyhalfofcompanies(48%)haveapproachedAlgovernancebyextendingtheirexistingdatagovernancetoolstoincorporateAI.Thisapproachisparticularlycommonamongmoreestablishedcompaniesinbusinessfor20yearsorlonger(58%).Fewer(30%)haveinvestedindiscretetoolsforAlgovernanceorstartedfromscratchto

developnewtoolsforthetask(22%).

NearlyhalfareadaptingexistingtoolsforAlgovernance

48%

Extending

existingdata

governancetools

Investing

indiscrete

tools

Developing

newtools

fromscratch

Notably,companiesinvestingindiscretetoolsforAlgovernanceordevelopingnewtoolsfromscratcharemorelikelytofeelconfidentthattheirAlvisibilityandgovernancehavekeptpacewithemployees'useofAl,atleastforthemostpart(90%and88%,respectively).Bycomparison,78%ofthoseextendingexistingdatagovernancetoolstoincorporateAlsharethatview.

10

CDOInsights2026:DatagovemanceandthetrustparadoxofdataandAlliteracytakecenterstage

However,thiscreatesaconundrum.

Extendingexistinggovernancetoolsmaybethemoretime-

sensitiveapproachforthoselookingtoquicklyadoptAI.

Three-quartersofdataleadersatcompaniesthatareextendingexistingdatagovernancetoolstoincorporateAl(75%)have

alreadyadoptedGenAl,comparedtolessthantwo-thirdsofthosewhoareinvestingindiscretetoolsforAlgovernance(65%)

orstartedfromscratchtodevelopnewAlgovernancetools(60%).CompaniesextendingexistingdatagovernancetoolstoincorporateAlarealsomorelikelytohaveadoptedagenticAI(56%)thanthoseinvestingindiscretetoolsforAlgovernance(39%)andthosewhostartedfromscratchtodevelopnewAlgovernancetools(40%).

Somecompaniesmaybetakingadualapproach,extending

existinggovernancetoolsfortheshortterm,whileevaluatinglonger-terminvestmentsindiscretegovernancetools,includingin-housedevelopmentandconsolidation.

11

CDOInsights2026:DatagovemanceandthetrustparadoxofdataandAlliteracytakecenterstage

Investmentswillalsobeusedtoaddressdata

challengesrelatedtotheadoptionofAl,witharoundathirdcitingdatareadinessforAl(35%),datareadinessforanalytics(33%)ormanagingunstructureddata

(28%)asdriversoftheiranticipatedincreaseindatamanagementinvestmentsthisyear.

DataManagementInvestments

Datachallengesthreatenthesuccessful

Inadditiontogovernance,devotingtheresourcestoimproveinfrastructureandprotectionisanotherwaycompaniesareaddressingthepotentialgapsthey'reseeing.GiventheimportanceofdatareliabilityforAlinitiativestosucceed,thevastmajorityofcompanies(86%)arecontinuingtoincreasedatamanagementinvestmentsfor2026,justastheyexpectedtodolastyear(also86%).

adoptionofAl

42%

DataprivacyandprotectionQualityofdata

Regulatorycompliance

Qualityandgovernanceofunstructureddata

Alethicsandgovernance

41%

plantoincreasetheirinvestmentsindata

managementthisyear

38%

39%

TheadoptionofAlisadriverfortheseinvestments:

36%

ThosewhohaveadoptedGenAI(90%)oragenticAl(91%)aremorelikelytobeincreasinginvestmentsindatamanagementversusthosewhohaven’t(77%and81%,respectively).

Inthenext12-24months,dataleadersseefivetopdata-relatedchallengestosuccessfulAladoption:

dataprivacyprotection(42%),qualityofdata(41%),

regulatorycompliance(39%),qualityandgovernanceofunstructureddata(38%)andAlethicsandgovernance(36%).CompaniesthathaveadoptedGenAI(45%)or

agenticAl(47%)aremorelikelytocitequalityofdataasatopchallengethanthosewhohaven't(34%and36%,respectively),providingevenmoreevidenceofwheretheworkaheadshouldbefocusedtoachieveAlsuccess.

AndtheirinvestmentswillgotowardaddressingmanyofthefoundationalelementsorganizationswillrequireiftheyaretohaveanticipatedsuccesswiththeirAl

initiatives.Amongthoseincreasingdatamanagementinvestments,themostcommonneedsdrivingthis

areimprovingdataprivacyandsecurity(43%)and

improvingdataandAlgovernance(41%).Meeting

changingregulatoryrequirementsisabiggerdriverfordatamanagementinvestmentsinAPAC(43%)thanintheU.S.(32%)ortheUK/EU(32%).

Inadditiontothestructuralfoundationsneededfor

successwithAlinitiatives,companiesareinvestinginmakingcertaintheiremployeesarereadyforAI.Upskillingtoimprovedataliteracy/Alfluency(39%)isanother

commonfactordrivingincreasedinvestments,asisimprovingoperationalprocessestomanageAl(38%).

12

CDOInsights2026:DatagovemanceandthetrustparadoxofdataandAlliteracytakecenterstage

VendorSupport

TheuseofmultiplevendorstomeetAlanddatamanagementneedsisproliferating,butthisislikelyashort-termfix.

CompaniessurveyedarefindingthattosupporttheirAlanddatamanagementpriorities,theycan'tdoitallthemselves.Totackletheirdatamanagementprioritiesthisyear,dataleadersbelievetheywillneedtopartnerwithanaverageofsevenvendors.ThosecompaniesthathaveadoptedGenAloragenticAlanticipate

needingtopartnerwithevenmorevendors-

eightandnineonaverage,respectively.

Othersareoptingformultiplepartnersformore

practicalreasons,suchasperceivedcost-effectiveness(41%)orspecializedorganizationalrequirements

(41%).That'sespeciallythecaseformoreestablishedcompaniesthatare20yearsorolder,where49%

citespecializedorganizationalrequirementsversus

37%ofyoungercompanies.IntheU.S.,perceived

cost-effectivenessismorelikelytobeareasonfor

companiestousemultiplevendors(48%)comparedtoAPAC(36%);theUK/EUfallsinthemiddleat40%.

Butusingmorevendorshasthepotentialtoaddcomplexityandultimatelyreducescalability.

JustasmoreemployeesusingAlincreasesriskfor

thecompany,relyingonmultiplevendorsfordata

Leadersbelievethey'llneedmultiplevendorpartnerstomeettheirdataandAlgoals

andAlmanagementdoesthesame.Withthisinmind,theuseofsomanyvendorsmaybeatemporarytrend.Ascompaniesdeveloptheskillstodomoreoftheir

Averagenumberofvendorpartnersto

supportdatamanagementprioritiesin2026

Averagenumberofvendorpartnersto

supportAlmanagementprioritiesin2026

ownAldevelopmentandastheindustrynaturallyseestheinevitableconsolidationoftoolsandplatformsthatoffersolutionsacrossfewerproducts,it'slikelytherewillbelessrelianceonsomanyvendorsinthefuture,streamliningtotalcostofownership.

TosupporttheirAlmanagementprioritiesthisyear,dataleadersbelievethey'lneedtopartnerwitheightvendorsonaverage,includinganaverageofnine

vendorsforthoseintheU.S.andsevenforthoseintheUK/EUandAPAC.

AmongthosepartneringwithmorethanonevendorfordataorAlmanagementin2026,themostcommonreasonfordoingsoisimprovingdatatrust(52%).

Itremainstobeseenwhetherthisexpansivenessintheuseofvendorswillcontinuepasttherapid,exuberantrampupofAladoptionorifcompanieswillchoose

toconsolidatevendorsandmovemoredataandAlfunctionstointernalteamsinthelongerterm.Big

spendontoomanyvendorsmaybecreatinganotherkindofdataparadoxascompanieschaseAI'sgrowth:onethatcouldstalltheROlontheirAlinvestments.

13

CDOInsights2026:DatagovemanceandthetrustparadoxofdataandAlliteracytakecenterstage

Conclusion

Companiesareseeingwidespreadadoptionof

GenAlandtheemergenceofagenticAl,offeringthepotentialforhugeopportunitiesandtremendous

businessvalue.Butwithbigpotentialcomesbigrisk.TheimplicationsofgettingitwrongaregreaterthaneverbeforeasthescaleandbreadthofAlinitiatives

-someofwhichmayinvolvecoreoperationsandentireorganizations-grows.

IflastyearmarkedaturningpointforAladoption,2026isexpectedtobetheyearcompaniesstartrealizingtherewards

oftheirefforts.

AsAlbecomesmorepervasivethroughout

organizations,companiesmustensuretheirAl

initiativesarebuiltonreliable,high-qualitydataandeffectivegovernanceforprivacyandsecurityofthedata.AlsoimportantistheappropriateuseofthedataandAltools.Inadvancingthesenewtechnologies,

theycan'tdispensewiththefundamentals.

Dataleadersareconcernedabouttherisksof

movingforwardwithnewAlinitiativeswithouthavingaddressedtheongoing,yetcriticalchallengessuchasdataqualityuncoveredthroughpreviousinitiatives.Inaddition,companiesareseeingmoreAlusersacrosstheorganization,especiallyasagenticAladoption

ratesincrease,leavingmoreopportunitiesforrisk

exposure.And,forthetimebeingatleast,they'llbe

relyingonmanyoutsidevendorsfordatamanagementandforAldevelopmentanddeployment.

MoreprojectswillmoveintoproductionandA'spromisewillbeginpayingoff,acceleratingnewinnovationsanddeliveringstrongerreturnsoninvestments.

Thoserewardscouldbegreat:improvedcustomer

experienceandserviceleadingtohigherloyalty,moreintelligentanalytics-drivendecisionmakingandbetteroptimizedworkflowsandcollaborationacrossthe

workplace.Andthat'sjustthebeginning;manyotherpotentialimprovementsareonthehorizon.Butthesamecompaniesmakingmajorinvestmentsmust

ensurethoseefforts-particularlythoseaimedat

improvingdatareliability-aresetupforsuccessinthelongterm,wellbeyondthepointwhereAlisnew,novelandunproven.

ItisclearthatsuccessinAlinitiativesrequires

governancethatdeliversconfidence.Dataleaders

mustensurethatAlgovernanceandsecurityaretoppriorities-foroutsidethreatsaswellasrisksinherentinAI.Theywillalsoneedtoaddressskillsgapsintheiremployees'understanding