Data Integration Woes Hurting AI Adoption; 80% Red Flag This As Major Challenge

As demand for IT resources climbs, 93% of enterprise IT leaders have deployed or want to deploy artificial intelligence agents within the next two years, according to research. The outputs of AI agents rely on connected data that allows for a thorough comprehension of user query context. 

However, data integration issues prevent businesses from utilising the technology’s full potential, and 80% of enterprises cite data integration as a major challenge for AI adoption, a recent survey shows. Findings also revealed that 95% of respondents struggled to integrate data across systems. Only 29% of applications are typically connected, on average, impacting the accuracy and usefulness of AI agents. 

IT departments, already in charge of keeping up with existing systems, are finding it difficult to satisfy the growing demand for AI solutions. The percentage of projects not delivered on time has risen to 29% in 2024—up from 26% in 2023.

What’s more, 86% of IT leaders expect workloads to rise in the future. On average, surveyed leaders expect an 18% increase in projects from 2024 to 2025. To meet increased demand, enterprise IT leaders spent an estimated average of $16.9 million on IT staff in 2024, a massive 61% increase from 2023 (estimated at $10.5 million).

Most IT leaders (93%) say that AI will increase the productivity of their developers in the next three years. And those using AI agents are even more confident, with 98% agreeing.

Data silos created by the expanding number of applications and AI models make it difficult for agents to function efficiently. Around 90% of IT leaders said data silos are creating business challenges, which are greater at organisations using agents (94%) compared to those not using agents (87%).

Organizations today are using 897 applications, on average. Organisations with AI agents use even more applications (1,103 on average), 45% more than those that don’t use agents (762).

The estimated number of AI models has doubled (from an average of nine in 2024 to 18 in 2025). This complex application infrastructure limits the capabilities and efficacy of AI agents.

By aligning integration and AI strategies, organisations can unclutter their data architecture and realise its full potential to fuel AI agents. Among organisations with agents, those using APIs are leveraging it to improve IT infrastructure (56%), enable data sharing across teams (49%), and integrate disparate systems (46%).

Organisations using API reported key benefits, including increased productivity (49%) and increased speed to meet business needs (49%); increased employee engagement and collaboration (47%); increased innovation (46%); and teams managing their own IT needs (46%).

Over a third (37%) of IT teams are leveraging APIs to increase the efficiency of their application development process. Additionally, IT leaders estimate an average of 40% of their company’s revenue is generated from APIs and API-related implementations. The number is even higher (45%) at organisations using AI agents.