What’s Inside
Perfect data is overrated. This week, we’re exploring how shifting your mindset around data is the key to becoming AI-First.
New Podcast Episode
From IBM to CIO
The AI First Takeaway
Other Insights
New Podcast Episode
In our recent podcast, AI First with Adam & Andy, we tackle one of the biggest myths holding companies back: you need a perfect, centralized data lake before you can do anything meaningful with AI.
“You can do so much just by grabbing the last 90 days of data, uploading it, and using it to solve a problem today.”
Waiting for perfect data kills momentum. The companies winning right now are the ones experimenting with what they already have — uncovering insights, building confidence, and accelerating value long before everything is “cleaned up.”
From IBM to CIO: The New Rules of Data Readiness
Recent research from IBM and CIO Magazine echoes what we’re seeing across the Forum3 AI-First Community. The organizations winning with AI aren’t waiting for their data to be flawless; they’re learning how to make it useful now.
Nearly 80% of enterprise data is unstructured (emails, PDFs, images, videos, call transcripts) yet less than 1% is actively used. Generative AI models now thrive on this kind of data. Leaders are learning that structured data shows “what happened,” while unstructured data explains “why.” Together, they unlock a more complete picture of performance, customers, and opportunity.
CIO warns that waiting for ‘perfect’ data kills momentum and urges disciplined foundations pursued in manageable chunks. Start with a narrow, high-value use case, show results, and harden data practices as you scale.
The lesson: perfect data is no longer the goal but progress is.
Structured + Unstructured: The New Pairing
For years, companies treated structured and unstructured data as separate worlds. One precise and predictable, the other messy and untamed. AI is erasing that divide.
Structured | Unstructured |
|---|---|
Tables, BI, KPIs | Documents, transcripts, images, videos |
Centralized, clean | Distributed, messy, rich in context |
Explains what happened | Reveals why it happened |
Optimized for analysis | Optimized for discovery |
Structured data still powers the KPIs and decisions you run every day, while unstructured data adds the ‘why’ and speeds discovery. Together they make analysis faster and more complete. Emails show customer sentiment before surveys do. Transcripts surface issues before metrics flag them. Images and PDFs carry context numbers can’t capture.
Modern leaders are blending both to unlock faster, richer, 360° visibility. IBM calls this convergence the “hybrid, open data lakehouse”, combining structured accuracy with unstructured meaning.
In the AI-First era, the question has shifted from “Is our data accurate?” to “Is our data useful and accessible right now?”
The AI-First Takeaway
Every brand has data challenges. The AI-First advantage comes from using what you have while building what you need.
At Forum3, we’ve seen that the most successful leaders:
Start early — even if it’s with messy spreadsheets or PDFs.
Educate and empower — give teams confidence to experiment.
Show visible wins — create one fast, meaningful proof of concept.
Scale gradually — build governance and structure after value is proven.
AI-First isn’t about perfection — it’s about movement.
“If you wait six months to clean your data before acting, you’re missing the boat. Six months is a lifetime right now.”
Other Insights
Across every industry, one message is clear: the companies that move now are pulling ahead. Here are two other good reads that reinforce why speed and readiness matter more than perfection.
Cisco’s AI Readiness Index: AI-ready companies are 4× more likely to move pilots into production and 50% more likely to see measurable value.
Qlik’s Agentic AI Study: 97% of enterprises have AI budgets, but only 18% have deployed; data access and ownership remain the #1 barrier.
Stay Curious. Stay AI-First.
Forum3 | Helping leaders build AI-First organizations that grow, adapt, and win.