60% of organisations could fail at AI governance if they ignore data culture: Gartner

Companies may be spending heavily on AI, but many could run into a more basic problem when it comes to governing it: their own data culture.

By 2027, 60% of organisations that fail to address cultural challenges around data and analytics governance will fail to govern AI successfully, Gartner said at its Data & Analytics Summit in Mumbai.

The issue is not just about having the right policies or technology in place. Gartner said organisations also need employees and business teams to understand why data governance matters and take responsibility for how data is managed and used.


“AI has amplified the importance of getting data governance foundations right, but many organisations remain focused on policy creation and technology enablement while overlooking the cultural aspects that are critical to the scaled and sustained operationalisation of those policies,” Anurag Raj, director analyst at Gartner, said.

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A Gartner survey of 223 data and analytics leaders in March 2026 found that cultural resistance was a bigger hurdle to governance initiatives than funding constraints. While 60% cited cultural resistance, 40% pointed to funding constraints.

Gartner said low data maturity, a poor understanding of the value of governance among stakeholders and weak engagement from business teams are some of the factors that can derail governance programmes.

This becomes more important as companies try to build “AI-ready” data. Having clean and trusted data is only part of the problem, Gartner said. Employees also need to understand how that data should be used and their role in maintaining its quality and trustworthiness.

“AI-ready data also requires AI-ready stakeholders who understand the value of trusted data, participate in data governance-related policy management activities, and overall maintain a culture of accountability and trust,” Raj said.

Gartner recommends that companies tie data governance to business outcomes instead of treating it as an IT or compliance exercise. It also wants organisations to make governance a shared responsibility between business and technology teams and build data and AI literacy into everyday workflows.

“Future success with AI depends as much on people as it does on technology,” Raj said.