84% of Organisations Need Complete Data Strategy Overhaul for AI Success

TL;DR: New Salesforce research finds 84% of organisations agree their data strategies need complete overhaul to succeed with agentic AI. Despite 70% believing their most valuable insights reside in siloed data, 26% of organisational data is deemed untrustworthy. Zero-copy architecture emerges as a solution, with 56% already adopting it.

Three-quarters (76%) of business leaders feel pressure to deliver business value with data, but incomplete, outdated, or low-quality data prevents them from doing so, according to new Salesforce research.

The Data Quality Crisis

The consequences of poor data quality are significant. Half (49%) of data leaders surveyed admitted they’ve sometimes reached incorrect conclusions due to poor context. Two in five (42%) noted poor confidence in the accuracy and relevancy of AI outputs.

Data leaders estimate that around a quarter (26%) of their organisational data is untrustworthy—a concerning figure when AI models rely on data quality for accurate outputs.

“For organisations ready to execute at scale, this is the moment to shore up data foundations to confidently scale AI to its full potential to deliver real value and ROI,” explained Michael Andrew, Salesforce Chief Data Officer.

The Siloed Data Paradox

Around one-fifth (19%) of company data is believed to be siloed or unusable. Yet 70% of organisations believe their most valuable insights reside within that trapped 19%—creating a paradox where the most valuable information remains inaccessible.

The most severe impact risks of data silos and trapped data include:

  • Compliance risks
  • Hindered decision-making
  • Lack of unified view of customers and the business

Zero-Copy Architecture as Solution

CEO Marc Benioff described agentic AI as revolutionary, stressing: “You’ve got to get your data right.”

Salesforce sees value in zero-copy architecture for the future of data—an approach whereby AI can access data where it resides without having to move, copy, or duplicate it. This architecture addresses both the accessibility and governance challenges of siloed data.

More than half (56%) of organisations say they’ve already started to adopt zero-copy approaches, and many are seeing benefits. Adopters report:

  • Customer service quality rising above industry standard
  • Ahead-of-schedule progress on AI initiatives compared with counterparts

Integration Strategy Essential

“The organisations treating data and AI as an integrated strategy are the ones who will successfully move from pilots to execution to see AI deliver significant impact,” Andrew concluded.

Looking Forward

The research underscores a critical inflection point: organisations recognising the need for data strategy overhaul must act now to unlock AI’s potential. Those treating data preparation as separate from AI implementation risk remaining stuck in pilot programmes whilst competitors move to full execution.

The message is clear—AI success depends not on algorithm sophistication but on data foundation quality. Zero-copy architecture offers a path forward, but only if organisations commit to treating data and AI as integrated strategic priorities.

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