Cloudera, the leading hybrid platform for data, analytics, and AI, has unveiled findings from its recent survey, The State of Enterprise AI and Modern Data Architecture. The survey, conducted among 600 IT leaders across the U.S., EMEA, and APAC regions, reveals that while nearly 90% of businesses have embraced AI, many are still grappling with significant challenges related to technology infrastructure and talent.
The survey highlights that despite AI’s rapid adoption and its potential to revolutionize industries, businesses often struggle with outdated data infrastructure and a lack of skilled personnel to fully leverage AI’s benefits. Specifically, concerns around security and compliance risks (74%), insufficient training and talent to manage AI tools (38%), and the high costs of AI technology (26%) are cited as key barriers.
The Middle East is experiencing a particularly strong shift from experimental AI initiatives to scaled applications, with 61% of regional executives anticipating productivity gains of over 10% from AI in 2024. This momentum reflects the region's tech-driven economy and its ambition to enhance employment and living standards.
Karim Azar, Regional Vice President of Middle East & Turkey at Cloudera, commented,
"As AI adoption accelerates in the Middle East, the importance of robust data infrastructure becomes increasingly clear."
The survey also emphasizes that all AI efforts are fundamentally tied to trustworthy data. Despite 94% of respondents expressing confidence in their data, many still face frustration when accessing company-wide data due to issues like contradictory datasets (49%), inadequate data governance (36%), and overwhelming data volumes (35%). These challenges point to a widespread need for modern data architecture that ensures secure, accessible, and reliable data across enterprises.
Key AI use cases identified include improving customer experience (60%), enhancing operational efficiency (57%), and accelerating analytics (51%). Companies are leveraging AI to automate IT processes, develop responsive chatbots, and harness analytics for better decision-making. For instance, AI is being used to boost security and fraud detection, automate customer support, and deliver predictive customer service.
Cloudera’s Chief Strategy Officer, Abhas Ricky, noted,
“Many companies struggle with data quality and accessibility, which hinders their AI initiatives. Managing data where it resides and running AI models in a cost-effective manner is critical for successful AI adoption. Enterprises are increasingly recognizing the benefits of bringing AI models to their data rather than the other way around.”
For more detailed insights, you can download the full report here.
News Source: AETOSWire
