Channel faces AI tool sprawl and inefficient workflows

The word “spawl” used to be one favoured by architects and town planners to reference the spread of the suburbs, but it is increasingly part of the channel’s lexicon.

Now the word has reappeared, referring to a situation the channel is all too familiar with – the spread of tools that customers are using. The security industry has long known of the problem, but it appears to be an issue that some of those in the industry believe can be eased by AI.

Last week, Jitterbit’s president and CEO Bill Conner talked of AI agent sprawl, with customers adopting dozens of task-specific tools that were creating management headaches.

This creates a paradox, with more AI not necessarily reducing the management burden, and a situation that the channel will need to guide users through.

AI data standards specialist dbt Labs’ Analyst revolution report shows that organisations are losing 9.1 hours per analyst each week to inefficient workflows, which totalled up is more than $20,000 per staffer annually.

The report indicated that analysts spent, on average, around 22% of their time generating insights from data, with the rest of the time used to deal with preparation, validation and navigating various tools.

Many of those quizzed for the report revealed they felt overwhelmed by the number of tools they had to navigate, with the average analyst using 5.4 platforms daily.

The consequences of tool sprawl are both human, with burnout a problem, as well as technological, with shadow IT growing as analysts look to make their life easier with their own solutions, including succumbing to the temptation to ask online AI tools for answers and comprise corporate data.

“The number of professionals working around governance systems is alarming, but it’s a clear sign for leaders that data teams need better technology that enables them to streamline and accelerate their work,” said Libby Rodney, chief strategy officer at The Harris Poll, which worked with dbt Labs on the report.

“The onus is now on leaders to implement solutions that will reduce friction and boost agility,” she added.

AI appeared to be the answer for many of the desires for improved efficiency, but many users revealed their employers were yet to take the plunge and roll-out the technology. There is an interest in real-time data quality detection and automated visualisation.

“It’s clear that analysts want to work with data in a way that makes them more productive, but also more fulfilled at work,” said Mark Porter, CTO of dbt Labs. “Today’s analysts are drowning in manual, labour-intensive tasks and can be bottlenecked by engineering counterparts.

“AI can bridge that gap if it’s properly integrated into governed workflows. The companies that provide unified platforms will create a symbiotic relationship where AI reduces time-consuming work and frees analysts to deliver the strategic insights that drive the business forward, ultimately boosting morale and personal fulfilment.”

Jitterbit’s Conner president and CEO warned that some companies had up to 40 AI agents working across the organisation and that was creating its own kind of sprawl.

“One of the concepts we’re reducing today is something called AI agent sprawl, because if you look at what’s happening now, most of the customers are getting hit with AI agents, but they’re micro processed, micro segmented, single workflow, one at a time,” he said.