AI enthusiasm is accelerating across the region, but data fragmentation, weak data quality, and governance gaps persist
SYDNEY, Australia – June 16, 2026 — Boomi, the data activation company for AI, today announced new research commissioned by Boomi and conducted by Omdia showing that despite Australia and New Zealand’s rapid artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, a significant number of organisations lack the data architecture needed to achieve measurable return on investment (ROI).
The Omdia survey of more than 1,100 senior technology and business decision-makers across the APAC region – including Australia and New Zealand – found that 72per cent of Australian and 65 per cent of New Zealand organisations are already running active AI initiatives. Nine in 10 Australian respondents (93 per cent) and eight in 10 New Zealand respondents (86 per cent) believe AI-enabled automation will significantly reshape their business processes within two to three years.
Even though 39 per cent of Australian and 43 per cent of New Zealand organisations do not have a dedicated AI budget, most organisations have strong AI investment intentions in the next 18-24 months.
Plans to add to or maintain investment were reflected across key capability areas, with Australian and New Zealand organisations respectively recording: 92 per cent and 93 per cent for data integration, preparation and orchestration; 90 per cent and 88 per cent for AI governance, risk and compliance; and 94 per cent and 91 per cent for data quality, security and privacy.
Despite the adoption momentum, only 46 per cent in Australia and 39 per cent in New Zealand currently have a platform-led approach to integration, highlighting a widening gap between AI ambition and execution. Meanwhile, more than a quarter in Australia (28 per cent) and third in New Zealand (34 per cent) said they are unable to effectively measure the success of AI initiatives, a critical gap when trying to assess ROI.
“APAC organisations are moving quickly on AI, but the research suggests that many organisations still appear to treat AI as an extension of broader technology spending rather than a strategic business transformation initiative,” said David Irecki, Chief Technology Officer, APJ, Boomi. “The gap between adoption and ROI realisation stems from one fundamental issue: weak data foundations. Without unified integration, governance, and data quality frameworks, each new AI initiative adds complexity rather than value.”
The research found 85 per cent of Australian and 84 per cent of New Zealand organisations are actively seeking to reduce tool and technology sprawl, and in Australia 90 per cent and in New Zealand 84 per cent are already consolidating across data, process integration, application programming interface (API) management, and automation.
Data Governance as a Key Priority
Meanwhile, 94 per cent of Australian and 89 per cent of New Zealand organisations view data integration, access, and governance as a key priority, while in Australia 90 per cent and New Zealand 86 per cent believe AI initiatives will increase focus on data quality and governance policies. Still, less than half of ANZ respondents (49 per cent in Australia and 38 per cent in New Zealand) have formal AI-specific data governance policies in place, and 76 per cent and 72 per cent, respectively, said unmanaged shadow integrations are disrupting data quality and confidence.
“Around nine out of 10 organisations we’ve surveyed cite governance as a priority, but less than half have formal policies in place.” said Michael Barnes, Chief Analyst, Enterprise IT Asia at Omdia. “When teams are building AI models on data they don’t fully control or orchestrate across systems, they lack visibility into what’s feeding what. That gap becomes a real business risk.”
Data sovereignty is emerging as a major consideration in Australia, with 76 per cent of firms expressing concerns about data residency requirements, meanwhile just 59 per cent felt the same in New Zealand. However, only 18 per cent in Australia and 14 per cent in New Zealand said those concerns are having significant impact on their data integration or AI strategies, suggesting many organisations are still in the early stages of operational planning.
Scaling for Competitive Advantage
“Scaling AI successfully depends on trusted, connected, and governed data. CIOs and senior IT leaders are increasingly focused on simplifying fragmented environments, improving data quality and building the operational foundations required to support enterprise-scale AI,” added Irecki.
“The strong pace of AI adoption across Australia and New Zealand and the significant plans for investment in the next two years, demonstrates that organisations are moving beyond experimentation and into implementation, but it’s time for organisations to put in place the right data foundations, integration capabilities, and governance structures.”
“Without this shift, organisations risk creating isolated AI activity without delivering measurable business outcomes. Governance, data quality, and clear performance measurement are what transform AI deployments into sustainable business value, enabling organisations to translate adoption into productivity gains, operational efficiency, and competitive advantage,” said Irecki.
Download the full report, AI Ambition Meets Data Reality: APAC Technology Priorities and Challenges 2026, from https://boomi.com/content/report/apac-tech-priorities-ai-2026/
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About Boomi
Boomi, the data activation company for AI, powers the agentic enterprise by bringing data to life across the business. The Boomi Enterprise Platform is the active data foundation that delivers essential agentic infrastructure to drive agentic transformation. By unifying agent design and governance, API and MCP management, integration and automation, and data management into a single platform, Boomi enables organizations to harness the power of AI with secure, scalable connectivity. Trusted by over 30,000 customers and supported by a network of 800+ partners, Boomi helps organizations of all sizes achieve agility, efficiency, and innovation at scale. Discover more at boomi.com.
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