Investimento em IA cresce, mas desafios de capacitação e dados limitam seu impacto

Almost unanimously (96%) stating they will increase investments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) this year, CIOs (Chief Information Officers) face a paradox: only 49% say their teams are prepared, and 46% report insufficient data to support projects, according to a recent PwC study.

But what to do when a company already sees the value of AI but runs into a lack of data or team preparedness?

"Technology alone is not enough. Without proper training and quality data, investment in AI may not generate the expected impact. And this is also a role for leaders; empowering people, ensuring robust technical support, and integrating systems to transform AI into a real competitive advantage," says João Neto, CRO of Unentel.

AI governance is also under construction: only 42% of companies have structured policies, and 49% are in the process of implementation, according to Logicalis. Even so, results are appearing quickly: 77% of companies that invested in the last 12 months have already registered a return on investment.

In other words, even with structural gaps, AI is already showing concrete results, making investment in training and good governance practices more urgent. There's still plenty of room to expand them and see a greater return on results, the CRO continues.

Another important fact, highlighted by Gartner, indicates that 63% of companies with a high level of AI maturity already track the results of their projects using solid ROI and customer satisfaction metrics. However, less than half of these organizations manage to keep their AI projects operational for three years or more, reinforcing the importance of structured, long-term strategies.

For these AI investments to be lasting and transformative, it's necessary to elevate team confidence and operational capacity, strengthen data management, and consolidate a culture of continuous learning—a triad that, according to João Neto, is fundamental to ensuring that innovation truly translates into business value.

"It's not enough to invest: you need to prepare the ground so that data, people, and culture can walk together," the executive concludes.