Generative AI is no longer a differentiator. Every enterprise vendor ships GenAI features, every infrastructure provider rents GPU capacity, and every model provider claims state-of-the-art benchmarks. Organizations are buying the same models and deploying similar copilots, yet the gap between AI leaders and laggards in measurable business value continues to widen. Futurum research shows generative AI ranks as the #1 enterprise technology priority for 33% of decision-makers, followed closely by data integration and application management at 27%.
The difference lies in the data a model can access. Generic data at any volume produces generic outcomes. Industry-specific data, generated from real workflows, governed over decades, and exposed to AI in real time, produces differentiated decisions, automation, and business value. Buyers already recognize the shift: 61% rank customization among their top criteria when evaluating AI-enabled applications, and 39% expect generative AI delivered through agents designed for specific functions rather than general-purpose copilots.
In our latest thought leadership brief, When AI Is Everywhere, Data Becomes the Differentiator, completed in partnership with Oracle, Futurum Research examines why industry-specific AI requires industry-specific data and how the ability to create, curate, and serve that data within real business workflows builds competitive advantage in enterprise AI.
In this brief, you will learn:
- Why foundation models are commoditizing and where enterprise AI value is shifting
- Where enterprises see the greatest AI impact, from finance and customer service to supply chain
- How the create, curate, and serve discipline turns operational and customer data into lasting AI advantage
- How Oracle applies this discipline across infrastructure, database, enterprise, and industry applications
- What enterprise buyers should evaluate beyond isolated AI features
If you are interested in learning more, be sure to download your copy of When AI Is Everywhere, Data Becomes the Differentiator today.
Author Information
Mitch Ashley is VP and Practice Lead for the CIO & Technology Buyers and Software Lifecycle Engineering practices at The Futurum Group. A multi-time CIO and CTO with 30+ years leading technical organizations, Mitch built and operated production systems spanning cybersecurity for the U.S. Department of Defense, PKI services for the broadband and 5G industries, SaaS platforms, large-scale telecom and banking systems, and a national broadband network. His work with AI began early, developing expert systems that diagnosed and repaired complex mainframe environments. That operator foundation grounds his analysis in operational consequence, covering the technology buyer's world of software engineering, cybersecurity, DevOps, cloud, and AI.
