At the second edition of IT Insight TALKS in 2026, held on 25 June at the Lispolis Technology Forum in Lisbon, Oramix participated in the roundtable dedicated to the impact of Artificial Intelligence and Data on organisations. Pedro Rocha, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer at Oramix, shared the stage with representatives from NetApp, Red Hat and Broadvoice in a session moderated by Henrique Carreiro, Director of IT Insight.
Data maturity as a differentiating factor
The discussion focused on whether organisations are prepared to adopt AI in a way that generates business returns. For Pedro Rocha, the answer begins with data. Data maturity was identified as the main differentiating factor between organisations that create value with artificial intelligence and those that remain in an exploratory phase. Gartner estimated that 80% of AI projects would fail due to poor data quality and that 60% of active projects in 2026 will fail for the same reason by the end of the year.
Without a catalogue, documented data lineage and clearly defined ownership, it is not possible to audit a decision made by an AI system, which is directly incompatible with the requirements of the AI Act. When data is not AI-Ready, data science teams spend between 60% and 80% of their time preparing data, compromising the return on the investment made in technical talent.
The responsibility of senior management
The role of the Board of Directors in data governance was another key topic. Pedro Rocha argued that every board should treat this as a strategic matter. Oramix’s innovation leader identified four reasons why this topic should be a priority for senior management: material risk, regulatory compliance, data as a business asset and the need to assign data ownership and responsibility to each unit within the organisation.
The discussion also addressed the growing pressure to move forward with AI without the necessary security and governance framework, as well as the type of project that can deliver measurable results within 12 months in 2026. “Maturity clearly determines the type of project that can be implemented. A company with low maturity will find it difficult to progress beyond a personal assistant. Organisations with high maturity can apply real time decision making across the entire organisation,” said Pedro Rocha.
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