85% IT Leaders See AI Boosting Productivity, But Data Integration Hinders Success: Salesforce

Almost 85% of information technology leaders expect artificial intelligence to increase developer productivity at their organisations over the next three years, recent research by cloud-based software company Salesforce has found. However, 62% said their organisation isn’t yet equipped to harmonise data systems to fully leverage AI, which is slowing transitions and straining their teams.

Additionally, 98% of IT organisations experienced some degree of challenge with their digital transformation efforts, with 80% citing data silos as a concern and 72% dealing with systems that are overly dependent on one another.

The research was based on a survey of 1,050 chief information officers and IT decision makers to understand challenges and how organisations can use integration, automation and application programming interfaces to build successful AI strategies.

AI Strategies Depend On Integrating And Unifying Data

Successful AI strategies rely on strong data integration strategies in order to reap the benefits of improving operational efficiency, productivity, and employee and customer experiences.

IT leaders expect a 69% increase in the average number of large language models they’ll use over the next three years, and 80% of organisations said they already use multiple predictive and generative AI models today.

While AI drives efficiency and productivity, it is dependent on integrated data. However, only around 28% of apps are connected, and 95% of IT leaders said integration issues are impeding AI adoption. Security and trust also remain barriers to adoption, with 64% of leaders concerned with ethical AI usage and adoption.

Breaking Down Data Silos Can Unlock AI’s Potential

Of the respondents, 81% said data silos are hindering digital transformation efforts. There is a need for better integration to unify structured and unstructured business data to deploy AI across all business functions. 

Seventy-two percent of IT leaders found their current infrastructure overly interdependent, with 62% saying their organisation is not equipped to harmonise their data systems to leverage AI technologies.

Additionally, 75% said they are struggling with integrating data insights into user experiences. Only 26% of organisations believe they provide a completely connected user experience across all channels.

Automation Is Essential, But IT Teams Are Overburdened

Only 22% of IT leaders reported that their strategy to help non-technical business users integrate apps and data sources via APIs is up to date. IT teams are struggling to integrate efficiently, as 98% reported facing challenges regarding digital transformation. Skills gaps and compliance concerns top the list of IT challenges.

To ease their burden, IT teams are increasingly using robotic process automation, with 31% preferring RPA in 2023, a rise from 13% in 2021.

APIs Can Be A Strategic Lever For Growth

APIs streamline data access and utilisation to fuel growth by connecting different applications and systems. An estimated 33% of all revenue is from API and API-related offerings. APIs have contributed to increased revenue for 39% of respondents and decreased operational costs for 35%.

IT leaders said that APIs increase agility and promote self-service (54%), increase productivity (48%) and benefit business teams by helping them meet their demands (46%). Additionally, a majority (54%) of IT leaders are using APIs to build integrations.

“AI is only as powerful as the data organisations can connect to it and the outcomes they can drive from it. This data shows IT leaders are increasingly aware that their ability to operationalise AI—and drive business and customer value—will be dependent on their ability to integrate it with their existing systems to create new opportunities for growth,” said Param Kahlon, EVP and GM, Automation and Integration, Salesforce.