Data Management Overtakes Cost and Talent as Top AI Challenge as 65% of Enterprises Race to Build Reliable Agentic Capabilities

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4:05 AM on Monday, March 9

The Associated Press

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 9, 2026--

As AI investment soars, the race for agentic is outpacing the modern data infrastructure required to support it. This is according to a new Semarchy survey of 1,000 global C-level executives across the UK, US and France, which shows data management (51%) is now viewed as a single most pressing challenge, surpassing both cost and talent.

With half of leaders currently implementing AI initiatives without Master Data Management (MDM) foundations (51%) 1, and a third without enforcing data quality standards (38%) 2, many are at risk of rendering their new agentic capabilities fundamentally unreliable, increasingly costly, and impossible to scale.

Poor Data Foundations Already Causing Project Delays and Compliance Issues

The new report also reveals the direct consequences of lacking data foundations have already been felt. Last year, one in five leaders experienced AI project delays due to data quality concerns (22%), operational inefficiencies from unreliable data (21%), or compliance issues linked to data protection regulations (19%).

While only 50% of leaders had prioritized ethics and regulation of the use of AI in their organisation in 2025, that focus has rapidly formalized; this year 77% of leaders have fully integrated AI considerations into their data governance policies. This shift suggests that many are now retrofitting compliance under pressure rather than having built it proactively from the start.

Optimism Surges Despite Acknowledged Skills and Strategy Gaps

The challenges haven’t stemmed business leaders’ rapidly increasing optimism around reaching their AI goals (doubled to 92% from 46% in 2025's survey), with nearly two-thirds (65%) of leaders now also pushing to develop agentic data management capabilities this year. Yet most acknowledge that their organization’s overall data skills (83%) and strategy (82%) are holding them back from reaching their full potential.

As a result, just under half (48%) are investing in a DataOps approach this year to bridge the gap – applying software engineering discipline to data delivery, with the aim of ensuring rapid, reliable delivery of high-quality data products.

“We are seeing a stark divide,” says Craig Gravina, Chief Technology Officer at Semarchy. “One half of leaders building on strong MDM foundations are positioning themselves to deliver trusted data products – the essential building blocks for scaling agentic AI reliably. The other half aren't just lagging behind; they are actively accumulating AI technical debt. Trying to scale agentic AI on top of fragmented data foundations and a disjointed strategy isn't just inefficient – it creates a compounding liability that could do significant long-term harm to the business.”

Data Leaders Sidelined from AI Strategy Despite Critical Role

“The disconnect between ambition and reality often starts at the top,” Gravina adds. “It’s alarming that while data management is the single biggest hurdle, only 7% of CDOs and 18% of CIOs are viewed as holding a chief role in their organization's AI strategy. You simply cannot separate the AI vision from the data reality. When the architects of your data infrastructure are sidelined from the strategy room, execution gaps are inevitable.”

The full Semarchy report is available at:

https://semarchy.com/resources/ai-data-management-report-2026/

About Semarchy

Semarchy is the modern data management company. The Semarchy Data Platform (SDP) – our AI-driven MDM and governance platform built for DataOps – ensures the rapid delivery of trusted, governed data products at scale, so businesses can easily find, understand, and consume the data they need.

With a proven record of customer success, Semarchy helps customers meet the growing demand for accurate, trusted data and drive the success of data-focused initiatives like AI, Customer 360, and more.

SDP is available as SaaS, as a self-managed (on-premises, private cloud) deployment, or as the only MDM platform offered as a native Snowflake application. It's also available through major cloud marketplaces, including Snowflake, Microsoft Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud Platform.

Semarchy is headquartered in Phoenix, USA, with offices in London (UK), Lyon (France), and New Delhi (India). For more information, visit www.semarchy.com.

About the research

The 2026 research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 1,000 C-suite (Aged 21 or over), employed and work in an organization with annual turnover of $200 million+ at companies that use AI. Across the UK, USA & France. The data was collected between January 29, 2026 and February 9, 2026. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the British Polling Council (BPC), and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge. We adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles.

The 2025 research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 1,050 Full time working respondents, in companies that currently use/are involved with AI. Roles include heads of data, CDOs, CIOs and equivalents, as well as standard C-suite level. Across the UK, USA and France. The data was collected between February 6, 2025 and February 12, 2025. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles. Censuswide is also a member of the British Polling Council.

1 Inverse of ‘Master Data Management (MDM)’

2 Inverse of ‘Data quality solutions’

View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260309081779/en/

CONTACT: Media Contacts:

Annabelle Kiff

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[email protected] Callahan

Semarchy, Inc.

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KEYWORD: ARIZONA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: DATA MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY OTHER TECHNOLOGY SOFTWARE NETWORKS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

SOURCE: Semarchy