MediaClipThe AI-Native Shift - Beyond Industrial Defaults

Why a bad process becomes bad automation

October 21, 2026

2:49

Before you ask AI to clean up the data, ask whether the process producing it should exist.

That's where Part 3 of 5 of our AI Readiness conversation ended, and it leads into Part 4 next week, "Why a bad process becomes bad automation."

My co-host Trisha Merriam on what happens when you ask people to describe their process:

"I've had orgs that can't even articulate their process. I'm like, well, what if this happens? Then that. But what if that happens right before that? 17 exceptions."

"Everybody has a different idea of how it actually works."

My example: bringing ZoomInfo data into HubSpot, then building a process around cleaning it up.

"Can we just shut off the contract and not solve for that really bad process? Right? Don't ask AI to clean it up."

Fix the process first.

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Where this came from

The Right Context at the Moment of Choice — AI Readiness, Part 3

Watch the full conversation this clip was pulled from.

The next step

That's the moment. Here is how you make it yours.

Build something realTake what you learned and build something concrete. valuefirstagent.com is where your build becomes a working agent.valuefirstagent.com(opens in a new tab)

And then, the rest of the path:

  1. Join the conversationainativehumans.org(opens in a new tab)
  2. Practice with peersvaluefirstcollective.com(opens in a new tab)
  3. Teach the next personthe Academy