Technology Leader Panel
Fixing the Data Problem for AI
Wednesday, June 17 , 9:00 AM PDT / 12:00 PM EDT – 10:00 AM PDT / 1:00 PM EDT
The most ambitious AI strategy cannot outperform the data feeding it. Here’s how distributors are fixing the foundation.
Every AI initiative in distribution eventually runs into the same wall: the data. Inconsistent product information, unreliable customer master data, siloed transactional systems, and uneven governance make it difficult for distributors to move AI projects from pilot to production. The most ambitious AI strategy cannot outperform the data feeding it, and many of the AI investments distributors are making today will underdeliver until the data foundation is addressed.
In this Technology Leader Panel, we examine what it actually takes for distributors to fix the data foundation AI depends on. The discussion covers where data quality breaks down across product, customer, and transactional systems, how to prioritize cleanup and governance without stalling AI progress, the role of MDM, PIM, and modern data platforms in AI readiness, and how leading distributors are sequencing data work alongside AI initiatives so the two reinforce each other rather than compete.
Key Takeaways
- Why data quality is the limiting factor for most AI initiatives in distribution
- Where data breaks down across product, customer, and transactional systems
- How to prioritize data cleanup and governance without stalling AI progress
- The role of MDM, PIM, and modern data platforms in AI readiness
- What leading distributors are doing to align their data and AI roadmaps
What You’ll Learn
- Where data problems most often derail distribution AI initiatives, and how to spot them early.
- Practical sequencing for data cleanup, governance, and AI deployment so the two reinforce each other.
- How modern data platforms, MDM, and PIM fit into an AI-ready architecture.
- What “good enough” data really looks like for AI use cases in distribution.
Join Us
Register to learn how distributors are fixing the data foundation their AI strategy depends on shaping the next wave of warehouse automation in distribution and operations leaders managing global supplier relationships.
Guest
Sam Bobb
Co-Founder and CTO, Kaavio
Sponsors
Guest
Sam Bobb
Co-Founder and CTO
Sam works toward one mission: “Product data should work as hard as the people who depend on it.” Prior to Kaavio, Sam spent years as a data and engineering leader inside companies that sell technical products to professional buyers, driving 3x conversions and 50%+ revenue growth at Octopart (YC W07), building PIM and search for 10M+ products at Volition, and serving as Head of Engineering.
When he isn’t thinking about building revolutionary workflows, you can find Sam skiing, cooking, and spending time with his dog Gus.
Host
Ian Heller
Chief Strategy Officer, Distribution Strategy Group
Ian Heller joined Grainger as a part-time truck unloader in college and left fifteen years later as the VP Marketing. Since then, he’s held senior executive positions at four other publicly-held firms, consulted with dozens of distributors, and continues to write and speak extensively on how AI, strategy, channel evolution, and other major trends affect the industry. Ian holds a B.A. in History from Roosevelt University and an MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University.