New research highlights a critical data readiness gap that threatens enterprise AI success
PALO ALTO, Calif. — May 29, 2025 — Actian, the data platform leader for hybrid data environments and a division of HCLSoftware, today announced findings from a new study that reveals only 4% of companies believe their data is fully prepared to support generative AI (Gen AI) initiatives.
As enterprises accelerate their AI adoption strategies, this statistic reflects a pressing reality: most organizations lack the data infrastructure, governance, and integration necessary to deploy Gen AI responsibly and effectively.
Key Barriers to Gen AI Readiness
Data Integration Gaps
Siloed systems remain a core challenge. When sales, marketing, operations, and customer service data reside in fragmented platforms, AI models lack the holistic view needed to generate accurate, contextual outputs. Legacy systems and disconnected pipelines further obstruct Gen AI performance.
Governance and Compliance Risks
The study emphasizes widespread deficiencies in metadata management, access controls, and auditability. Poor governance not only weakens the reliability of Gen AI results but also increases the risk of regulatory violations under laws like GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA.
Outdated Data Infrastructure
Traditional monolithic data systems cannot meet the real-time, scalable demands of modern AI. A shift to a modern data stack—including cloud data warehouses, real-time streaming tools, and automated ETL/ELT platforms—is crucial to enabling Gen AI at scale.
Expert Insight from Actian’s CTO
“Comprehensive data preparation is the key to ensuring generative AI applications can do their job effectively and deliver trustworthy results,” said Emma McGrattan, CTO at Actian. “Training AI models requires large volumes of high-quality data. We bring our extensive heritage in data and analytics to the table as we work closely with customers to ensure they’ve implemented thorough data preparation pipelines. This helps accelerate and validate their Generative AI projects, ensuring our customers achieve their desired objectives with confidence.”
(LinkedIn: Emma McGrattan)
A Call for Actionable Data Transformation
The full report, available at actian.com/solutions/gen-ai-data-readiness, offers detailed recommendations for enterprises looking to modernize their data environment in preparation for Gen AI initiatives. These include:
- Consolidating siloed data with cloud-native platforms
- Deploying robust governance frameworks
- Adopting scalable infrastructure for real-time AI workloads
With data readiness now a defining factor in Gen AI success, Actian is helping enterprises turn their AI ambitions into tangible business outcomes.
