Poor AI strategy holding businesses back despite rapid investment, BDO says

In a new report, Techtonic States: Build Your Business Edge, BDO has found that 57 per cent of global businesses were fast-tracking their AI adoption, but only 49 per cent had a clear strategy to back it.

“We’ve moved beyond the question of whether to adopt AI. The challenge now is what to do with it – how to ensure it’s aligned with business goals and delivering meaningful results,” BDO digital leader Nick Kervin said.

“Too many organisations are rushing to deploy technology without the strategic foundations to support it.”

AI has rapidly risen to become one of the most important technological areas for global business leaders. It climbed from eighth place in BDO’s ranking in 2023 to second place in 2025.

However, BDO said the prevalence of ‘messy’ or incomplete data was preventing many organisations from getting their money’s worth out of AI. Unstructured, inconsistent or error-prone data limited the effectiveness of AI tools, the report found.

Almost half (42 per cent) of global leaders said that their organisation lacked adequate skills and infrastructure to navigate the AI disruption effectively.

BDO noted that this observed disconnect between AI ambition and practical execution was a recurring theme throughout their research. Businesses with intentional AI strategies tied to solid data and practical business outcomes would be most well-placed for success.

“Businesses are realising that AI is only as good as the data and systems behind it,” Kervin said.

“Without clean, structured and accessible data, even the most advanced technologies risk becoming expensive distractions and may result in a loss of confidence in AI investment due to the poor quality outcomes resulting in businesses falling behind their competitors.”