A quarter of businesses started to implement artificial intelligence (AI) tools without a clear reason why, a survey of business leaders revealed.
Despite media warnings about AI replacing human decision-making, executives rank this as only the fifth most common mistake (11%), according to a study by Coupler.io, a data integration and analytics platform. The survey of CEOs, founders, and business leaders across SaaS, ecommerce, marketing, and other tech-driven industries uncovered widespread misunderstandings and assumptions that often lead to ineffective use of AI.
The most frequent mistake, reported by every fourth leader (27%), is adopting AI without clear business goals, often implementing tools simply to follow trends rather than to achieve measurable outcomes.
Another major challenge is over-reliance on AI, cited by 21% of respondents, which can create blind spots where critical decisions lack human judgment and context.
Other frequent pitfalls include inadequate oversight & training (17%), poor data preparation (15%), and treating AI as a substitute for human decision-making (11%).
Where AI actually drives strategy
Executives report that AI’s strongest strategic impact is in data analytics and management (21%), helping businesses organize, clean, and transform data more efficiently; reduce reporting time, and streamline decision-making.
Other areas where AI delivers measurable value include understanding customers and markets (mentioned by 19% of respondents), predictive forecasting for budgets, demand, and sales (17%), marketing performance, including content production and campaign optimization (17%). Slightly fewer managers (13%) cited enhancing the customer experience, including onboarding, retention, satisfaction, and lifetime value.
“AI implementation has become one of the defining themes of 2025. Yet despite its popularity, leaders need to approach it with discipline and clarity. With advice circulating from tech outlets to lifestyle podcasts, it’s easy to get distracted. AI should be integrated based on data, not trends, so each company can achieve outcomes that truly move the business forward,” stressed Olexander Paladiy, Product Director at Coupler.io.
About Coupler.io
Coupler.io is a data integration and AI analytics platform trusted by over a million users. It allows collecting, organizing, transforming, and visualizing business data to make informed decisions. For more information about the Coupler.io survey, visit: https://blog.coupler.io/ai-business-strategy/
