A Reality Check for Leaders: Are You Interpreting Data Correctly? (And AI Can't Do It For You.) with Jim Sterne

Episode Overview

Artificial intelligence isn’t just reshaping marketing — it’s redefining how organizations learn, scale, and make smarter decisions. In this episode of Better Experiences by Design, Susan Quinn sits down with Jim Sterne, internationally recognized author, speaker, and founder of the Marketing Analytics Summit, to explore how generative AI, analytics, and human-centered strategy are converging to create meaningful customer experiences.

So our biggest hazard here is assuming that it is an answer machine…just don’t ask it questions of fact.”

Key Takeaways:

• Start with goals — not data. Data becomes meaningful only when aligned to the problems you’re trying to solve and the outcomes you’re driving toward.
• Verification is essential. Generative AI isn’t a “source of truth.” Jim’s advice: don’t trust—verify.
• AI can accelerate your work, but it still needs human judgment. Treat it like a smart, eager intern: capable, fast, and powerful — but needing context, feedback, and supervision.
• Customer experience is still human at its core. Automation can handle logistics. Humans handle trust, confidence, and connection.

About Jim Sterne

Jim Sterne is an internationally recognized author, keynote speaker, and one of the foundational voices in digital analytics. He is the founder of the Marketing Analytics Summit and the Digital Analytics Association, and has written 13 books spanning internet marketing, analytics, and artificial intelligence. His latest work, The New Science of Customer Relationships: Delivering on the One-to-One Promise with AI, explores how generative AI is transforming the way organizations understand their customers and create more personalized experiences.

Ways to connect with Jim

• Website
• LinkedIn

Resources from Jim 

• Book: The New Science of Customer Relationships: Delivering on the One-to-One Promise with AI
• Marketing Analytics Summit