Data-Ish • Edition 2
TDLR:
You can’t use AI without knowing—and trusting—the data you feed it.
We’re offering access to our Beyond the Data Black Box workshop - a hands-on session that helps you uncover, assess, and make better use of the data you already have.
Things that make you go hmmmm.
Stick these to your monitor—or better yet, scribble them on the back of a napkin.
You can’t use AI if your data isn’t decision-ready.
Before ChatGPT can help analyze a survey or write your next grant, you need clarity on your input data: Is it structured? Consistent? Clean? Garbage in, garbage out—just faster.
Most orgs overestimate how “ready” their data is and underestimate how fixable that is with a little support.
AI won't solve human problems (but it can amplify them).
We’ve worked with clients who wanted AI to make sense of disparate spreadsheets or design a program evaluation report. If your team isn’t aligned on what “success” or “impact” means, no algorithm will save you.
Being “AI-ready” isn’t a tech strategy; it’s a data culture strategy.
AI doesn’t create alignment. It doesn't clarify fuzzy goals. It won’t clean up years of siloed spreadsheets or replace a missing feedback loop.
That’s not about software—it’s about habits.
How do you define success?
Who owns the data behind key decisions?
How does your team turn insight into action?
The best AI outcomes we’ve seen started not with a tool, but with a shift in culture: more curiosity, clearer priorities, and conversations about what “good enough” looks like.
Before you invest in AI, invest in that.
Words Worth Holding Onto
"AI is like a car with no driver. It’ll go where you point it but you'd better know the destination."
– Us (and we stand by it)
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems..”
– James Clear (author of Atomic Habits)
Napkin Doodle Prompt
(Need help finding the right data—or the right question?)
Rad Resources
Data Spring Cleaning Guide
This practical guide walks you through simple, high-impact steps to tackle common "dirty data" issues and set your systems up for smarter use (AI or otherwise).