Unlocking the data advantage in the Age of Intelligence

A new Harvard Business Review Analytic Services Pulse Survey report, Unlocking the Data Advantage in the Age of Intelligence, examines how organizations are preparing for agentic AI—autonomous systems that can perceive context, make decisions, and take action across workflows. Based on a survey of 325 HBR audience members fielded in October 2025, the report highlights a growing readiness gap: enterprises are eager to advance AI initiatives, but many lack the unified, trustworthy, and interoperable data foundations required for agentic AI to operate reliably at scale.

Key insights:

• AI adoption is widespread, but data readiness is lagging. While 94% of respondents say their organization is exploring, piloting, or implementing AI, only 15% say their data foundation is very ready for AI adoption.
• Data fragmentation is the biggest blocker. 46% cite data silos as their top challenge in making enterprise data usable for AI—outpacing issues like data talent/expertise (42%) and unclear data strategy (39%).
• Leaders are prioritizing the data fundamentals needed for agentic AI. Over the next 12 months, the top priorities are improving data quality and reliability (37%) and integrating data sources/breaking down silos (37%), alongside modernizing tools and strengthening skills (both 34%).