Datacom Finds NZ Businesses Are Using AI, But Few Have Scaled It
Summary
Datacom’s 2026 State of AI Index says 91 percent of New Zealand organisations now use AI, but only 15 percent have scaled it organisation-wide. The research highlights a leadership and integration gap affecting customer engagement, workflow automation and marketing operations. For digital marketers, the next advantage will come from connecting AI software with reliable data, accountable governance and measurable commercial outcomes.
Our Analysis
• We see this as a maturity story: software adoption is rising faster than operating-model redesign.
• Marketing leaders should connect customer data, campaign workflows and service insights before adding more tools.
• In our experience, accountable ownership determines whether pilots produce measurable commercial value.
• The 4 percent transformation figure should prompt boards to demand clearer outcome metrics.
Full Story
New Zealand businesses are rapidly adopting AI-enabled business software, but most have yet to embed the technology deeply enough to transform core operations, according to Datacom’s 2026 State of AI Index.
The research, reported on September 8, found that 91 percent of New Zealand organisations now use some form of AI, up from 87 percent in 2025 and 66 percent in 2024. However, only 15 percent have reached the stage of scaling AI across the organisation, while 81 percent remain in exploratory or implementation phases.
For digital marketing and customer-engagement teams, the findings highlight a widening gap between access to AI tools and the ability to operationalise them. Software is increasingly being used for communication, customer interaction, workflow automation, analytics and decision support. Yet many organisations continue to operate with disconnected platforms, fragmented customer data and limited internal ownership of AI initiatives.
Datacom’s research indicates that only 4 percent of business leaders believe AI has transformed their organisation’s core operations, down from 8 percent in the previous year. The result suggests that experimentation is not automatically translating into better customer experiences, faster campaign execution or measurable commercial growth.
The leadership gap is a central feature of the research. Just 22 percent of organisations have a dedicated AI leadership role, even though 59 percent employ or plan to employ dedicated AI talent. Datacom says the lack of clear accountability is making it harder for businesses to coordinate technology investment, data governance, staff capability and business outcomes.
That challenge is particularly relevant to marketing departments, where AI features are increasingly built into customer relationship management, content, advertising, personalisation and reporting software. Without clear ownership, teams may adopt separate tools for copy development, audience analysis, campaign optimisation or customer service without creating a connected operating model.
The research was based on a survey of 207 senior business leaders from New Zealand organisations with at least 100 employees. It found that 66 percent had provided AI skills training during the past year, while 59 percent either employed or planned to employ specialist AI talent.
For New Zealand marketers, the findings point to a shift in priorities. The competitive advantage is moving away from simply purchasing AI-enabled software and towards integrating it with reliable customer data, defined workflows and human decision-making. Businesses that connect marketing, sales and service information may be better positioned to use AI for timely customer engagement rather than isolated content production.
Datacom’s findings also suggest that New Zealand’s next phase of adoption will depend less on novelty and more on execution. Companies that establish accountable leadership, improve data readiness and measure commercial outcomes will have a stronger chance of turning AI business software into sustained productivity and customer value.