Value-First Data - Mar 17, 2026

Chris Carolan and Klemen Hrovat are joined by guest Tricia Miriam to talk AI data readiness through the lens of "shadow data" — the unintegrated, informal data living outside primary systems like HubSpot or Salesforce (spreadsheets, conversations, personal notes). Their central warning: humans can intuit the gaps and supply missing context, but AI will blindly process incomplete data and produce confident, wrong insights. They share examples — critical revenue data never integrated into HubSpot, and AI call-coaching that missed crucial conversational nuance because it worked from summarized transcripts. The insight: true AI readiness means bringing shadow data into the light, and that's a strategic move, not just a technical one. Their guidance: align teams on the value of a unified customer view tied to business goals, inventory data sources without triggering organizational defensiveness, prioritize integrations by impact and feasibility, and use quick wins to build trust.