Curiosity Is the New Currency: Data and AI in the Real World

In this episode of Reboot IT, host Dave Coriale, President of DelCor, sits down with Katherine Bayless, Senior Director of Data and Analytics at the Consumer Technology Association, to discuss how associations are evolving in their use of data amid rapid advances in AI. Katherine shares candid insights on data governance, trust, hygiene, and why “fast crawling” with data is becoming more effective than rigid crawl-walk-run models. Together, they explore how AI is reshaping data-driven decision-making, shifting the focus from literacy to fluency, and why curiosity is now the most critical skill for association professionals. This conversation offers practical guidance for both staff leaders and executives navigating data maturity in an AI-driven future.Themes and Topics:Where Associations Really Are with DataData maturity across the community averages around a “two-and-a-half.”Governance has value but can become a “weaponized stall tactic” if it blocks action.Trust, Hygiene, and the Reality of Imperfect DataTrust in organizational data often skews low, even when data exists.“All data is wrong. Some data is useful,” depending on how it’s applied.Rethinking Crawl, Walk, Run in an AI WorldMany organizations never truly reach the “run” stage.AI enables a faster, messier crawl that delivers value sooner and sparks curiosity. AI as a Catalyst for Better QuestionsAI shifts teams from deterministic questions to probabilistic “what if” thinking.Execution is now cheap, making experimentation and iteration easier than ever.From Data Literacy to Data FluencyThe goal is fluency—using data naturally as part of everyday work.Data teams must move from being interpreters to capability builders.Culture, Curiosity, and Organizational EnablementCuriosity is now “the currency of the moment.”HR, IT, and leadership must partner to create space for experimentation, not just training.