The trends behind content intelligence: Key statistics driving the future

• Adoption of content intelligence surges: Decision-makers increasingly prioritize AI-powered content management, with 64% transforming their ECM strategies using AI.

• Industry-wide applications shine: From healthcare to manufacturing, content intelligence is fueling use cases that enhance efficiency and innovation.

• Organizations are optimistic about specific AI tools: Intelligent document processing, content federation services and AI-driven metadata tagging help manage unstructured data and improve workflows.

Enterprise content management (ECM) is undergoing a seismic shift, driven by advances in AI. For leaders, storing content isn’t the end game it once was; rather, they seek to leverage the data they already own and use it to extract powerful and actionable insights.

Content intelligence — leveraging AI to turn unstructured data into strategic assets — is becoming a game-changer. In a recent study from Forrester Consulting, commissioned by Hyland, the analyst firm delved into the rise of content intelligence and the implications for your business.

According to Forrester, 60% of enterprise decision-makers now prioritize content intelligence, but just 9% say they can extract data from enterprise content, competently analyze it for insight, and use that insight to drive transformation and impact.

The opportunity to seize a competitive edge through content intelligence is staggering. Let’s take a sneak peek at some the trends Forrester uncovered.

AI’s growing role in ECM

• 64% of organizations have significantly transformed their content management approach with AI — a 21% increase since 2019.

• 74% of decision-makers expect AI to have a large or significant impact on their ability to achieve priority content objectives over the next 12 months.

Why AI is gaining momentum

Organizations are turning to content intelligence to unlock new opportunities and drive measurable outcomes. By adopting this technology, they aim to:

• Enhance data quality (58% of respondents) to support better decision-making.

• Accelerate decision-making (55%) by providing faster, more accurate insights.

• Foster innovation (61%) by uncovering critical business trends and opportunities.

By embracing opportunities like these, organizations can leverage AI to gain deeper insights from their own hard-to-use data, improve agility and stay ahead in a competitive landscape.

AI's versatility is reshaping industries, with organizations in diverse sectors deploying it to meet unique challenges. Consider Forrester’s reporting on some innovative ways leaders hope to use AI:

• Healthcare: Curate the latest medical research to keep practitioners and patients informed.

• Manufacturing: Provide content for product innovation, safety precautions and environmental effects.

• Insurance: Analyze historical claims data to anticipate trends and prepare relevant content for customers.

• Financial services: Efficiently analyze a wide range of loan applications, financial records and legal agreements.

• Government: Assist in determining urgent needs and promptly disseminating important information.

• Higher education: Examine student engagement patterns to identify students at risk of falling behind.

• Professional services: Equip sales and customer service teams with AI-powered content recommendations.

• Retail: Study market trends and customer data to estimate demand, suggesting content and products.

These use cases highlight how content intelligence doesn’t just reduce costs — it creates a stronger, more innovative workplace for employees, as well as a better user experience for all stakeholders.

Sixty-five percent of organizations see unstructured data as an opportunity for content intelligence applications. Here are some content services tools Forrester noted organizations are interested in as it relates to enterprise content:

Intelligent document processing (IDP)

For at least 80% of decision-makers, IDP is considered an important feature of a content services platform. This technology extracts data from high-volume documents and prepares it for actionable insights. Beyond just digitizing documents, IDP is a powerful catalyst for modernization. As important business information grows in volume and complexity, manual document processing is no longer a viable option, and IDP can help organization keep pace.

> Read more | What can you do with Hyland IDP?

Content federation services

AI-powered tools combined with the power of content federation services can generate amplified value from your content by eliminating and elevating the data within siloed repositories. Forrester reports enterprise content is stored across 21 systems, on average. Services that consolidate data across repositories without migrating it are appreciated for their ability to streamline workflows and eliminate silos — while opening the door for more comprehensive content intelligence.

“Content federation services provide a one-stop interface to consolidate content regardless of the storage location, preparing it for content intelligence," the Forrester study states.

AI-driven metadata tagging

With an 88% rate of adoption or planned adoption reported by respondents, automated, AI-driven metadata tagging is a valuable tool that enriches enterprise content for better searchability and compliance.

Leveraging AI to unlock insights from unstructured data and speed processes can transform the way your organization operates, innovates and engages with its customers and its own employees.

Want more details and actionable advice to shape your content intelligence strategy?

Download the full Forrester study today and discover how forward-thinking organizations are conquering challenges and capitalizing on opportunities.