Sinequa Survey Reveals Shift from Cost to Data Quality as Top AI Concern

NEW YORK, May 19, 2025 — With the promise of Agentic AI accelerating and new LLMs frequently emerging, the excitement around intelligent automation is reaching new heights. According to new research from Sinequa by ChapsVision, traditional concerns over cost, now cited by just 10% of respondents, have dropped to sixth place among challenges, as more nuanced issues such as data accuracy and quality (19%) take precedence.

The study is based on responses from 100 enterprise decision-makers across the UK and US and found that two-thirds (66%) of organizations expect to unlock returns on their Agentic AI investments within the next five years. The majority (82%) of companies also believe AI is already making their organizations more intelligent and productive, and 62% feel prepared for Agentic AI adoption.

However, this perceived readiness contrasts with underlying data issues: nearly two-thirds (61%) of organizations admit their data readiness still needs improvement.

Data Challenges Hinder Agentic AI adoption

For Agentic AI to deliver value, autonomous systems must make real-time decisions with confidence, requiring access to trustworthy, contextual insights drawn from across an organization.

Reflecting this shift, nearly two thirds of organizations (61%) say their data readiness for Agentic AI still needs improvement. This is not just in terms of traditional “cleaning”, but in the ability to quickly access or surface relevant, trusted information when it’s needed most. The research further highlights just how widespread the data problem is, with these persistent challenges limiting organizations’ ability to support AI systems at scale:

• Data security and compliance concerns (67%)
• Interdepartmental data silos (47%)
• Managing the volume and velocity of data (37%)

Enterprise Search’s Role in Agentic AI

These issues already exist with GenAI adoption, but Agentic AI raises the stakes, prompting organizations to re-evaluate the tools they already have in place to manage knowledge and information retrieval.

One of the capabilities already in place in many enterprises, known as enterprise search or “intelligent retrieval systems,” is increasingly relevant. These systems are what initially enabled enterprise AI to extract and surface knowledge from across disconnected environments in real-time. In doing so, they’ve quietly laid the groundwork for this next era of AI, having long addressed challenges that Agentic AI now faces — such as navigating complex datasets, balancing accessibility with security and delivering high-value information on demand.

In this context, the research found that 66% of respondents recognized intelligent retrieval expertise as key to overcoming implementation hurdles and unlocking Agentic AI’s true potential.

Respondents expressed further confidence in intelligent retrieval in helping resolve these data issues, citing its abilities in improving data accessibility across the organization (46%), enhancing AI model training (43%), and scaling to support high-volume data processing (42%).

Commenting on the findings, Jeff Evernham, Chief Product Officer at Sinequa by ChapsVision said: “There is no doubt we’re racing toward an agent-driven future. As users grow more comfortable relying on AI for everyday tasks, and as organizations recognize AI as a long-term investment rather than an upfront expense, the demand for similar capabilities in the workplace will only accelerate.

All the hype may be on GenAI, but the LLM model hype cycle moves fast. Claude today, ChatGPT 4.1 tomorrow, something else the week after. But if the data behind the model isn’t accurate, secure, and accessible, none of it matters. While businesses are eager to realize ROI quickly, true business transformation will require sustained investment in data readiness and intelligent retrieval systems to bridge the gap between AI and real-world impact.”

About Sinequa by ChapsVision

Sinequa transforms how work gets done. Sinequa’s Assistants augment your company by empowering employees with a knowledgeable, accurate, secure work partner, making them more effective, informed, productive, and less stressed. Best of all, Sinequa Assistants streamline workflows and automatically navigate the chaotic enterprise information landscape, allowing employees to bypass tedious tasks and focus on high-impact work. Sinequa achieve this by combining the power of comprehensive enterprise search with the simplicity of generative AI, all within a configurable and easily managed Assistant framework that ensures an accurate, traceable, and fully secure conversational experience. Deploy an out-of-the-box Assistant or configure a tailored experience and specialized workflow to augment your people and your company.

Source: Sinequa