How to get your business data ready for AI agents

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day, reviewed by our editorial team. Read the full piece on Forbes or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: As companies accelerate adoption of AI agents capable of making decisions and executing tasks autonomously, experts warn that poor-quality, fragmented and inaccessible data could become the biggest barrier to success
• Preparing data infrastructure is becoming a critical prerequisite for scaling AI

🔭 The context: AI agents differ from traditional software because they can interpret information, take actions and operate across business systems with limited human intervention
• This increases the importance of reliable data, as errors can propagate quickly across workflows
• Businesses often already hold large volumes of information, but it is frequently stored in disconnected systems, lacks consistent definitions and is not governed for automated use

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Efficient management could improve sustainability decision-making by enabling companies to track emissions, resource use, supply-chain risks and environmental impacts more accurately
• AI agents built on reliable sustainability data could support faster identification of inefficiencies, improve reporting quality and help organisations allocate resources more effectively
• However, poor data governance could also amplify inaccurate environmental claims or flawed climate decisions

⏭️ What’s next: Companies may need to focus on building AI-ready data foundations by mapping data assets, improving governance, breaking down information silos and creating secure access through APIs
• Organisations that prepare their data infrastructure early may be better positioned to scale AI applications while meeting regulatory requirements.

💬 One quote: “Give an AI agent bad data, and it can make bad decisions at machine speed.” — Bernard Marr, Forbes contributor

📈 One stat: Gartner estimates that 60% of AI projects could fail due to inadequate data management infrastructure

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