Alteryx Research Reveals Trust and Data Gaps Stalling AI Pilot Scaling

Event summary

  • Alteryx survey of 1,400 leaders finds fewer than 25% of AI pilots successfully operationalize into production.
  • 49% of leaders cite high-quality, accessible, and well-governed data as critical for agentic AI impact.
  • AI workflow ownership expected to shift from centralized teams to lines of business by 11% over the next three years.
  • 89% of leaders plan to maintain or increase AI budgets in 2026, with 48% planning to boost spending on AI infrastructure and tools.

The big picture

Alteryx's research highlights a growing disconnect between AI ambition and real-world impact, with trust and data quality emerging as critical bottlenecks. As AI platforms expand within data stacks—projected to grow from 33% in 2024 to 51% in three years—enterprises must address foundational issues to scale AI effectively. The shift in AI workflow ownership signals a broader trend toward decentralized AI governance, requiring organizations to adapt their strategies to maintain control and consistency.

What we're watching

Trust Barriers
How organizations will address low trust in AI for strategic decisions, where only 28% of leaders currently trust AI for decision-making.
Data Quality
Whether enterprises can improve data governance to support consistent and explainable AI results, as 28% of leaders plan to prioritize this.
Workflow Shifts
The pace at which AI workflow ownership will decentralize from IT to individual business units, projected to rise from 22% to 33% by 2028.

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