Is your data ready for AI?

The headline: Everybody's ready for AI except for your data. The time to prepare your data for AI was yesterday, but it's not too late to start today.

Why it matters: Data is the bedrock of AI. But good data isn't an accident -- it takes a little bit of foresight and a lot of governance, resilience, and patience.

I ran a half-marathon last weekend. It wasn't a race -- a friend hosting a Memorial Day party lives 13.1 miles from me... so I ran there. It took me 2:19. Not much to brag about, but it was a new personal record for me.

I cut through a familiar neighborhood. Its street trees offered shade and its sidewalks kept me safe. Unlike the live oaks in New Orleans, the trees weren't 70+ years old, but also hadn't (yet) caused the sidewalks to heave.

My first job

My first job was with Waterford Township . Starting at 15 years old, I worked in Town Hall after school. I built databases, drafted maps, and worked with developers on new subdivisions. I wore a tie (and thought it was cool).

At 16 years old, one of my job responsibilities included making sure developers installed street trees and sidewalks in new subdivisions. This included collecting a bond to guarantee their work and inspecting they followed our ordinances.

I wasn't popular. Not referring to high school here (although also true), but with the developers. The trees and sidewalks cost money. The bond cost money. And me, a nerdy high school student making $5.50 per hour, was the culprit.

I was cussed out by a developer once. I caught him red-handed in a lie and called him on it. During our call, he never imagined I was 16. His jaw hit the counter when he handed his bond to (115 pound) me in person.

Back to my run

My run was nostalgic. I was running on sidewalks and beneath the shade of the trees I had inspected 25+ years prior. I wasn't popular, but was a public servant and believe the work I did mattered. It made a difference.

What I realized: The developers weren't thinking 25+ years ahead. They sought to maximize the short-term rather than optimize the long-term. A little bit of foresight with a lot of governance, resilience, and patience paid off:

• Governance. I think there's zero chance this neighborhood would have street trees and sidewalks today if it weren't for local government (and the unpopular public servants like 16 year old me enforcing ordinances).
• Resilience. You'll notice a few smaller trees. In 2002 the Emerald Ash Borer decimated trees in Michigan. Fortunately, the HOA has bylaws requiring replacement (and an undoubtedly unpopular board to enforce them).
• Patience. These trees were 2 1/2" caliper and 10' tall when I inspected them in 1997. It took time for them to grow. Someone needed a little bit of foresight 25+ years ago to create the neighborhood enjoyed today.

Back to data

Giving credit: I just returned from 咨科和信 World 2024. 咨科和信 coined that "Everybody's ready for AI except your data." It resonates.

The takeaway: As data professionals, we're responsible to have just a little bit of foresight in helping our organizations succeed with AI. This means preparing today while thinking about the next 25+ years. That will take a lot of:

• Governance. Somebody has to be unpopular today to prepare for our future with AI. Somebody must make data governance a priority. We can't always maximize the short-term and ignore optimizing the long-term.
• Resilience. Data projects are tough. There will be a few failures that cause you to cut them down and then build them back up. It's worth it. Imagine if we never planted a street tree fearing a green beetle could take them out?
• Patience. We've seen dozens of tech hype cycles. With AI, we're at the peak of inflated expectations. It doesn't mean AI is just hype. If Gartner's right, it means you have a 2 - 5 more years to prepare your data for it.

Call to action: I can't say it any better than Richard Cramer , Informatica's Chief Healthcare Strategist. Take 76 seconds to listen to his perspective on data readiness for AI. Then, assess your organization's readiness or ask for help.

Final thought: Thanks to Joseph Gallo , a fellow public servant, HOA board member, and data executive, who jogged (pun intended) my memory of the street tree and sidewalk inspector bullet on my resume last week.

This article is part of my blog, Running Thoughts on Data. My first post, The Story My Data Cannot Tell, shares the genesis of my blog. The views and postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent those of Plante Moran.