OneStream, the leading enterprise finance management platform, has released the results of a new global study examining the critical intersection of data governance and AI adoption. Polling over 350 senior Finance and IT executives across the U.S., U.K., and France, the research highlights a dangerous paradox: while AI spending is forecasted to surpass $2 trillion in 2026, the data foundations supporting these investments are fundamentally unstable.
The Trust Gap: 96% of executives value accurate data, yet 47% admit to making material business decisions based on inaccurate or outdated data in the last 12 months.
The Financial Toll: 72% of organizations reported that poor data cost them $500,000 or more, with 37% citing damages exceeding $1 million.
The "Amplification" Risk: Executives using bad data are 4x more likely to use ten or more AI tools, risking the acceleration and amplification of flawed decisions.
Structural Barriers: Only 19% of organizations pull the majority of AI inputs from a centralized system; disconnected systems remain a top barrier for 32% of respondents.
Generational Risk: Leaders aged 25–44 are heavier AI users but are 4x more likely to report significant financial or compliance impacts from faulty data compared to seasoned peers.
The study suggests that the rush toward AI ROI is outpacing data readiness. While 79% of executives believe their governance can support large-scale AI, 61% second-guess their data at least once a month. This confidence gap stems from a lack of centralized truth; only half of the surveyed companies have automated reconciliation or established consistent data quality rules.
"Unless companies have data they can trust, AI will only accelerate and amplify bad decisions," said Tom Shea, CEO of OneStream. "No enterprise can start from scratch to unify all its data—it's not practical. The advantage comes from aligning Finance and IT."
A significant finding of the report is the "ownership tug-of-war" between Finance and IT. While 89% claim the departments are aligned, 85% of CIOs believe they lead governance, while 78% of CFOs claim the lead. This disconnect leads to a lack of data ownership, cited by 32% of CFOs as a primary barrier to success.
However, the reward for collaboration is high: Organizations that achieve complete alignment between Finance and IT are 5.5x more likely to report complete trust in their data.
The research highlights a specific vulnerability among "AI-fluent" rising leaders. Younger executives (ages 25–44) use more AI tools but are significantly more exposed to risk, with 51% reporting material decisions based on faulty data. This emphasizes that technical proficiency cannot replace the institutional knowledge and business context required to spot data anomalies.
Pam McIntyre, Chief Accounting Officer at OneStream, noted: "The next generation of finance leaders is inheriting tools that can do extraordinary things, but those tools require a level of data discipline that has to be built deliberately."
About OneStream
OneStream provides a unified enterprise finance platform that simplifies financial and operational data. By embedding AI for better decision-making and productivity, OneStream empowers the Office of the CFO to modernize core functions and drive business strategy. With over 1,800 customers, including 18% of the Fortune 500, OneStream is the operating system for modern Finance.
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