By Briar Christensen, Principal Advisory Consultant at Stellar
Our Key Takeaways From Two Days of Everything Data, Analytics, and AI Insights!
As an incredible two-day journey through the world of Data, Analytics, and AI drew to a close, I couldn’t leave it behind without sharing of the standout insights and key takeaways from the 2024 Gartner Data & Analytics Summit, held recently in Sydney. While there were numerous speakers and many highlights, here are a few critical points that stood out:
1. Data / AI Strategy – A Living Document
A successful Data and AI strategy should be an ongoing process rather than a static PowerPoint presentation. Approach your strategy as a living prototype, engaging business stakeholders from the start to ensure alignment and buy-in.
2. Understanding Data / AI Governance
Governance should not be viewed merely as a compliance requirement that hinders progress. Instead, it should be recognised as a vital component to enhancing execution and driving future success. And remember – AI regulation is just around the corner across the globe, so now is a great time to make sure you have your AI Governance ducks in a row.
3. Elevating Data Storytelling
To make data storytelling even more impactful, go beyond presenting a simple visualisation and narrative. Incorporate emotional triggers and decision options to foster a deeper connection and understanding of the data. Make it easy for a business user to make a data-driven decision, based on the data story you’re telling.
4. Decision-Centric Approaches
Shift the focus from being data-driven to being decision-centric. Prioritise the decisions that need to be made by the business, rather than just the data. Ensure decisions are contextual, continuous, and well-connected, to drive better outcomes.
5. AI Trends 2025
With the rise of AI literacy, it’s crucial now for absolutely everybody in the business to understand concepts like “rubbish in, rubbish out” (data quality for AI) and the potential for Generative AI (GenAI) models to produce “hallucinations” or incorrect or misleading information. For a real-life demonstration of GenAI hallucinations, simply ask Microsoft Copilot or ChatGPT, “How many r’s are in the word strawberry?”
At Stellar, we love to keep our team up to date with the latest in thought leadership, so they can pass on valuable learnings to our clients.
To get started with your Data or AI advisory journey, contact Stellar Advisory on 0800 228 872,or email us on bi@stellarconsulting.co.nz.
