Automation and AI Emerge as the Solution to Mounting Data Challenges, Reveals 2025 Survey

Research reveals automation and generative AI as critical solutions to rising data demands and productivity challenges.

PALO ALTO, CA, UNITED STATES, January 28, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Ascend.io, the leader in data automation, has released its fifth annual DataAware Pulse Survey, offering key insights into the state of modern data teams. The report paints a vivid picture of teams struggling to keep pace with increased workloads, maintenance burdens, and data quality challenges. Yet, it also highlights a promising trend: the growing adoption of automation and AI as powerful tools to address these pressures and drive meaningful change.

“The increasing complexity of data ecosystems has pushed many teams to the limit,” said Sean Knapp, Founder and CEO of Ascend.io. “The survey reveals that teams are seeking scalable solutions, with automation and AI-driven tools offering a way to thrive in the rapidly changing times.”

Data teams continue to face a capacity crunch. More than 95% of respondents report being at or above their work limits, with escalating workloads making it difficult to meet growing demands for AI-ready data. Nearly half of their time is spent maintaining legacy systems, which limits progress on critical business initiatives. Poor data quality further compounds the issue, with 40% of respondents identifying unreliable pipelines and fragmented processes as major barriers to productivity.

Despite these challenges, automation and AI are emerging as transformative forces in the field. Nearly 90% of respondents have already implemented or plan to implement automation within the next year. Findings from Ascend.io’s ESG report underscore the potential impact, showing that data automation can boost team productivity by as much as 700%. Generative AI adoption is also on the rise, with 47% of teams leveraging it for test automation, 44% for code generation, and 40% for documentation. However, gaps remain: 27% of individual contributors report not yet using AI in their workflows, signaling the need for more accessible tools and training to democratize adoption.

“Automation adoption is still in its infancy, but its transformative potential is undeniable,” noted Knapp. “The survey highlights the urgency for teams to adopt automation and AI — not just as tools for efficiency, but as critical drivers of innovation and scalability in increasingly complex data environments.”

As data volumes and complexity continue to grow, organizations face a critical decision: embrace automation and AI or risk falling behind. While many teams are beginning their journey, the survey reveals significant opportunities to enable broader adoption and empower every contributor. By bridging gaps between technology and people, data teams have the potential to unlock new levels of productivity and innovation.

Ascend.io's 2025 DataAware Pulse Survey is available for download here.


ABOUT ASCEND.IO

Ascend.io is on a mission to make data engineering delightful. The Ascend Data Automation Cloud empowers data teams to build, automate, and optimize data pipelines with ease. Combining a powerful metadata core, advanced automation, and integrated AI agents, Ascend eliminates engineering toil, enabling teams to focus on innovation and delivering data faster than ever before.

By unifying data engineering workloads across the entire data lifecycle, Ascend enables organizations to reduce operational overhead and enhance collaboration among data professionals. With features like DataAware orchestration, dynamic workload optimization, and end-to-end data observability, Ascend.io helps organizations power their applications, enhance decision-making, and achieve impactful business outcomes. Learn more on our website: Ascend.io

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