• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, May 7, 2025

Email marketers and others trying to use GenAI face a variety of obstacles, many involving data, judging by a study from Business Performance Innovation (BPI) Network and Growth Officer Council in partnership with EncompaaS -- titled Is Your Data Prepared And Primed To Unlock Gen AI’s Business Value?

The respondents cite these challenges in deploying GenAI:

• Data accuracy & reliability — 69%
• AI integration & implementation — 68% 
• AI ethics, governance & trust — 56%
• Data security & privacy — 50% 
• Cost & ROI — 44% 
• Data quality — 39%
• AI moving too fast — 28% 

Drilling down, the study identifies these data-quality challenges: 

Siloed data — 73% 

United understanding of data — 60%

Post data governance — 53% 

Lack of visibility of organizational data — 48% 

Data volume & complexity — 42% 

Outdated systems to manage data — 39%

But don’t think this is an entirely negative report. Of the companies polled, 79% expect GenAI to deliver competitive advantage over the next 18 months, 42% most likely and 37% absolutely. 

The respondents expect these benefits from GenAI over that period:

• Streamlined. business processes & automation of repetitive tasks — 67%
• Document generator & personalization — 64%
• Data analysis & analytics — 61% 
• Cost reduction & resource optimization — 56%
• Compliance & risk management — 52% 
• AI agents improving customer experience — 46%
• Data management — 41%

Of those now using GenAI, over half are satisfied with the value being derived:

• Very satisfied — 16% 
• Satisfied — 33%
• Dissatisfied — 36%
• Very dissatisfied — 15%

BPI Network surveyed 171 business and functional leaders and also conducted in-depth interviews.