Companies Are Solving The Wrong AI Data Problem

Every enterprise software category eventually sees its share of arms races. For Exhibit A, look at what is happening in the AI market.

As hyperscale giants wage high-profile wars for more customers, a subtler battle is shaking out in the market for customer data platforms that account for the downstream effects these AI infrastructure providers are fueling.

Vendors are shipping new activation tools, faster segmentation engines and AI copilots that pledge to turn raw customer data into personalized campaigns in seconds. The goal? Generating more powerful marketing mechanisms to help generate new contacts and sales pipeline.

Of course, as this is enterprise software we’re talking about, motions for addressing governance and compliance often come last. As a result, few vendors are shipping solutions that verify whether the contact record is authentic.

This is an unforced error, as I recently learned from speaking with Emma Bowkett, CEO of Convertr, whose software helps companies ensure proper governance for contact data.

“The governance gap didn’t matter as much when a marketer built a list, reviewed it and hit send, but it matters now that AI agents can not only build the list and write the marketing copy, but press send themselves,” Bowkett said.

It also matters at a time when consumer trust in AI systems remains low. More than 80% of people on average say that recent AI developments concern them due to model hallucinations and bias, as well as lack of human oversight among other issues, according to a recent survey from my company, Prosper Insights & Analytics.

The Activation-First Blind Spot

Current contact data platforms are focused on audience building and personalization. Think stronger identity resolution across channels, richer behavioral signals, tighter integration with ad platforms, generative tools that draft the email or the ad creative dynamically.

The Governance Mislabel

But what happens after a bad record enters the system? Bowkett knows the answer.