• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, July 1, 2025

Costs, data accuracy, security and privacy remain some of businesses’ biggest concerns around generative artificial intelligence (GAI), according to a new report.

Concerns related to deployment costs have increased 18X since 2023, while data security has tripled and anxiety around the accuracy of response of the AI bots has grown 8X, according to Lucidworks’ annual benchmark report.

Some 58% companies this year cite data security as a major concern, compared with 46% in 2024, and 17% in 2023.

To analyze global businesses, Lucidworks built a bot, Guydbot, to analyze 1,100 ecommerce sites across 48 industry segments. It combined that data with findings from a survey of 1,600 CEOs, CTOs, and other AI strategy decision-makers.

The AI bot found 65% of companies lack the foundation to build useful agentic AI. Some 83% of those surveyed reported feeling "major" or "extreme" concerns over their AI progress.

One of the biggest challenges is that 65% of companies lack fundamental capabilities to support sophisticated AI features, yet 83% express major concerns about their AI progress.

A lack of fundamental capabilities might also lead to concerns around data accuracy. Some 54% are concerned about data accuracy this year, 36% in 2024, and 7% in 2023. Deployment cost concerns hover at 55% in 2025, 43% in 2024, and 3% in 2023.

The portion of companies that plan to increase spending on AI continues to fall. Only 58% of B2C companies this year plan to decrease AI spending, down from 61% in 2024 and 93% in 2023.

Financial services fell to 55% this year from 70% in 2024 and 94% in 2023, while healthcare fell to 44% this year -- down from 51% in 2024 and 88% in 2025. B2B is the only sector surveyed that rose to 68% this year, up from 63% in 2024, but down from 94% in 2023.

The report also introduced the Capability Cohorts framework, dividing organizations into four categories based on ecommerce and AI progress.

Guydbot found 35% of the companies evaluated fell into the "Achievers" category -- those that have built solid ecommerce foundations while making progress on implementing generative AI (GAI). 

The remaining 65% were made up of “Builders,” and 14% were noted as being strong in essential capabilities but had limited AI implementations.

“Climbers” contributed 10%. These companies made AI progress but still had gaps in ecommerce essential capabilities. The group titled Spectators, at 41%, represent those just getting started that have room for growth across all capabilities.