Danish
A reflection on key insights from the Data Innovation Summit 2025
In the fast-paced world of data and AI, it’s easy to get caught up in the technological whirlwind. A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending the Data Innovation Summit, where industry leaders shared insights that challenged how we think about data strategy. Beyond the technical discussions, a clear message emerged. Successful data initiatives begin with purpose, not technology.
Entangling the AI hype
“We need AI!”
The rallying cry echoes through boardrooms across industries, but many organizations are chasing technology without a clear destination in mind. It’s like buying the Ferrari without knowing how to drive. Flashy, but ultimately ineffective.
Consider a retailer recently investing heavily in an AI solution to analyze customer behavior. Their system used NLP (Natural Language Processing) to analyze customer reviews and social media mentions, computer vision to track in-store shopping patterns, and ML (Machine Learning) to predict future purchasing behaviors based on past transactions.
A solid six months and an empty wallet later, they had beautiful dashboards showing sentiment analysis, heatmaps of store traffic, and customer propensity models but they were left clueless after being asked at the board meeting “So what decisions have we made differently because of this investment?”
Despite all the data and insights, they had no clear strategy for turning those patterns into actionable marketing campaigns, inventory decisions, or store layouts. The technology was impressive, but the purpose was missing.
Now contrast this to a small hospitality chain that began with a specific challenge: reducing food waste in their restaurants. They implemented a modest predictive model that analyzed historical sales, local events, and weather patterns to optimize purchasing. The solution wasn’t cutting-edge, but it addressed a real business need, delivering a 30% reduction in waste and measurable impact on their bottom line.
The key difference? Starting with the decision you want to make, not the technology you want to implement.
Calling all GCP users – I got good news for you
During the summit, Yasmeen Ahmad, Google Cloud MD for Data Analytics, highlighted how Google is reimagining data tools for the age of AI. The most striking revelation wasn’t about complex algorithms but about accessibility.
“We’re entering an age where unstructured data becomes as valuable as structured data,” Ahmad noted. Google’s GenAI capabilities integrated into platforms like BigQuery and Looker are democratizing data access in unprecedented ways.
Imagine a marketing manager who needs to understand campaign performance but lacks SQL knowledge. In the past, they’d need to request a report from the data team – a process that could take days. Today, they can simply ask in the interface: “How did our spring campaign perform compared to last year in the Nordic region?” and receive instant insights.
This transformation isn’t just about convenience – it’s fundamentally changing who can extract value from data. The technical barriers that once restricted data-driven decision-making to analysts and data scientists are dissolving, putting insights directly in the hands of business users.
But Ahmad was careful to emphasize that these powerful tools still rely on a strong data foundation. AI-powered interfaces might make data access feel magical, but they don’t eliminate the need for quality data governance. The AI is never better than the data you feed it with.
Forget that data the new oil – it is the new ice cream
Perhaps the most vivid insight from the summit came from our own Steen Rasmussen, who delivered a simple yet powerful metaphor: “Data has a limited useful lifespan, just like soft ice cream. Delay action, and both become less valuable. If you don’t act on it quickly, it melts.” This perspective challenges the data hoarding mentality that dominated the “data is the new oil” era. Unlike oil, which gains value through refinement and storage, data often loses value with time.
Consider these scenarios:
- A customer who abandons their cart on your e-commerce site is sending a powerful signal – they’re interested but hesitant. This insight has tremendous value if acted upon within hours (through a targeted email or personalized offer), but minimal value days later when their purchase decision has likely been made elsewhere.
- Website visitor behavior indicating confusion with your checkout process represents an immediate opportunity to improve conversion rates. The longer you wait to address these friction points, the more revenue you lose with each passing day.
In each case, the value of data diminishes exponentially with time – just like ice cream melting on a hot summer day. Organizations that build systems to detect and act on these signals in near real-time consistently outperform those that collect data for retrospective analysis.
The shift from “what data should we collect?” to “what decision do we want to make?” represents a fundamental mindset change. It’s about treating data as a perishable asset. Valuable only when consumed fresh and with purpose.
Finding your purpose in the data dungeon
As these insights from the Data Innovation Summit demonstrate, the businesses seeing real returns from their data investments are not necessarily those with the most sophisticated technology. They’re the ones with the clearest sense of purpose.
Whether you’re a billion-dollar enterprise with cutting-edge, shiny tech infrastructure or a smaller organization just beginning your data journey, the principle remains the same: start with the business outcomes you want to achieve, then work backward to determine what data and technology you need.
In a world obsessed with collecting more data and implementing the latest AI, perhaps the most innovative approach is also the simplest: focus on purpose first, technology second.
After all, even the most advanced AI system cannot tell you what keeps you up at night about your business. Only you can determine that – and that’s exactly where your data strategy should begin. That’s where we at IIH Nordic come in.
We have built our reputation on helping some of the biggest Danish brands bridge the gap between business challenges and data solutions. We don’t start with what’s technically possible. We start with what matters most to your business, then craft data strategies that turn those sleepless nights into competitive advantages.
