Why Infrastructure Modernization Is The Real Enabler Of AI

InnovationWhy Infrastructure Modernization Is The Real Enabler Of AIByDaniela Binatti,Forbes Councils Member.for Forbes Technology CouncilCOUNCIL POSTExpertise from Forbes Councils members, operated under license. Opinions expressed are those of the author. | Membership (fee-based)May 20, 2026, 01:30pm EDTDaniela Binatti is the founder and CEO of Pismo. gettyArtificial intelligence is one of the most discussed topics in business today. Across industries, companies are exploring the potential of AI, automation and intelligent agents to drive efficiency, innovation, and growth. According to Stanford University’s Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence Institute, generative AI reached 53% adoption among the global population within three years of ChatGPT’s launch—faster than either the personal computer or the internet achieved comparable levels.Yet an important reality often goes unspoken in these conversations: many organizations are trying to deploy modern technologies on infrastructure that was built decades ago. According to Gartner, outdated systems consume more than 75% of IT budgets at many financial institutions, crowding out innovation and slowing transformation. I see this challenge frequently in financial services, but it extends across industries. Much of the world’s core infrastructure was designed for an era of limited computing power, bandwidth and storage, often relying on mainframe-based architectures or early-generation technology stacks that are still operating largely as originally deployed.These systems were built for reliability, and in many cases, they still perform that function well. But they were designed for a vastly different technological environment. Today’s digital economy depends on cloud computing, real-time data access, mobile experiences and large-scale data processing. However, many underlying platforms are still based on assumptions made decades ago. Over time, layers of patches, integrations and workarounds have added complexity, w...