Is there a source of truth?
Identify where the current record for a customer, document, asset or service lives. When several systems hold conflicting values, AI will reproduce that conflict in its answers.
Each dataset also needs an owner. Technical access does not automatically permit a new use case.
- Which source is authoritative
- How often it is updated
- Who owns quality
- Which fields are critical
Can the answer's origin be explained?
Agents, analytics and predictions need a link between result and source. Document version, update date, author and approval status matter as much as the text.
Without lineage, teams cannot distinguish a model error from an outdated record or broken integration. Logging and source references therefore belong in the pilot design.
Seven control questions
Define the business problem, required sources, data owners, quality rules, access constraints, validation method and person authorised to stop the scenario.
If several answers are missing, the first deliverable should be a data map and remediation plan, not an agent.