When data tells different stories
Most organisations already know the frustration of bad customer data. This is often linked to having data in silos – with research suggesting that 82% of enterprises report that data silos are the main cause for workflow disruption.
That lack of a single truth doesn’t just waste time – it undermines confidence across the business. Decisions stall, campaigns don’t hit targets and teams focus more on resolving the issues rather than serving customers.
The cost is huge. Research shows that companies lose up to 20% of revenue each year due to poor data quality and leaders spend up to 40% of their time reconciling conflicting information rather than addressing the problems.
Automation struggles without clean foundations
The consequences of bad data become visible when you introduce automation:
- Customer journeys break when records are duplicated or incomplete
- Machine learning models underperform because half the inputs are wrong
- Dashboards give different answers depending on who is pulling from them
Automation is only ever as good as the foundation beneath it – and when data is poor or siloed that foundation is weak. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that 80% of a typical AI or automation project is spent simply collecting, cleaning and organising data before any real value can be delivered.
AI multiplies both risks and rewards
Now bring in Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI is dynamic – it doesn’t sit quietly in the background. It works fast, using whatever information that it has been fed by you.
If the data is accurate and governed, the results can be transformative. If it isn’t, the risks multiply – from costly errors to reputational damage
The stakes for AI success are high. With research suggesting that in 2025, 42% of AI initiatives have already been scrapped due to showing no ROI.
AI doesn’t just amplify value – it amplifies weakness.
The solution isn’t to build on messy foundations. To reap the benefits of AI, you need to:
- Build a single, trusted view of the customer across teams
- Ensure data flows cleanly into dashboards, journeys and models
- Embed governance and compliance into the core
A modern data platform does exactly this – transforming everyday chaos into a connected, reliable environment that every system, including AI, can trust.
Clean data is the difference between AI that disrupts and AI that delivers
With those foundations in place, automation finally works as intended, AI delivers responsibly and customer experiences become seamless instead of fragmented.
Clean, governed data is no longer a technical nice-to-have. It’s the foundation that determines whether AI becomes a competitive advantage or a costly liability. Businesses that act now will not only unlock the full potential of AI but also set the standard for how it can deliver value without sacrificing trust or compliance.
Read our boardroom horror story, The Shadow Inside the Machine, to understand:
- What’s at stake when it comes to using AI
- How you can leverage AI to create connected customer experiences
- What can go wrong – and how to avoid it
Also available as an audiobook.
