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Why AI won't fix everything, but can change everything if you get the basics right

AI is everywhere. From flashy demos to bold headlines, the promise is clear: artificial intelligence can supercharge your business, streamline operations, and drive innovation. But amid all the hype, there’s one truth we keep coming back to at CROPLAND: no AI model, no matter how advanced, can succeed without the right foundation.

AI isn’t magic. It’s built on data

If your first instinct when exploring AI is to ask ChatGPT something clever, you’re not alone. But here’s the thing: AI doesn’t “know” anything. It works by predicting the next most likely word based on patterns in its training data. Impressive? Sure. But without proper guardrails, that also means it can confidently hallucinate nonsense.

That’s why relying on general-purpose tools for business-critical decisions is risky. As Geoffrey Hinton, the Nobel Prize winner and so-called “godfather of AI”, recently warned, AI systems are evolving fast, perhaps faster than we can fully grasp. And while he estimates the chance of rogue superintelligence around 10–20% in 30 years, we feel that the real, present risk is misuse and misunderstanding.

At CROPLAND, we believe the best way to mitigate those risks is to go back to basics. We focus on building systems that are grounded in your data, your language, and your rules. Not someone else’s.

Let’s have a look at what that means practically.

Don’t start with the tech. Start with the basics

It starts with literacy , AI literacy, that is

Understanding what AI is (and isn’t) should be your first step. AI literacy is no longer a nice-to-have — it’s essential. When your team understands the tools they’re using, you:

Avoid costly missteps
Accelerate adoption of the right tools
Build a long-term competitive edge

That’s why every CROPLAND AI project starts with some type of education. We make sure your team knows what AI can do — and what still requires a human touch.

Because even the most advanced tools mean little if the foundation isn’t there.

Don’t prompt blindly, prep your data

Once your team understands how to use AI, the next step is making sure the AI has the right data to work with. Sure, writing a good prompt can help you get better answers from ChatGPT. But prompting alone won’t save you — especially not in a business context. Because no matter how well you phrase your request, if the underlying data is messy, outdated, or incomplete, your AI will still give you bad answers.

At CROPLAND, we often say: AI is only as smart as the information you feed it. That’s why we don’t stop at plugging in a chatbot and calling it a day. We make your data AI-fit first.

In some situations, that might mean using agentic RAG — an architecture where multiple AI agents team up to clean, structure, and validate your data before it reaches the model. The result? Better answers, less risk, and a system that scales with you.

Is this prep work the most glamorous part of AI? It probably isn’t, but it is the most important. Because as Gartner puts it: 90% of GenAI projects will fail due to poor data quality or complexity. And we’d rather be in the 10%.

“90% of GenAI projects will fail due to poor data quality or complexity.” — Gartner

The real power of AI? Combining tech with trust

Gartner doesn’t just point to data quality as a reason AI projects fail, it also highlights a deeper issue: lack of trust. And trust is exactly where all those earlier basics come together. You build trust by helping people understand what AI can (and can’t) do. You reinforce it when your AI behaves reliably — and that only happens when the underlying data is solid.

In short, AI has the power to reshape everything — but only if we approach it with intention. Technology alone won’t get us there. It’s people who need to stay in control, backed by clear frameworks for privacy, transparency, and accountability.

At CROPLAND, that philosophy runs through everything we do. Whether we’re building a secure internal chatbot, a semantic search engine, or an agentic RAG architecture — we make sure:

You stay in control
Your data stays private
Your teams are empowered, not replaced

So, if you’re starting out with AI (or reassessing how to apply it in your business), here’s our advice:

👉 Don’t start with the tech. Start with the basics.

Because when your foundation is strong, AI isn’t just a hype, it’s your next competitive edge.

Curious what that looks like in practice? Read more about how we approach AI implementation from the ground up.

Want to understand more on the importance of having an AI strategy? Listen to our latest podcast where Geert and Jeroen explore why strategy comes before tools, and how companies can get started the smart way

Want to see how other companies are turning AI ambition into real-world results? Or are you simply looking to stay up to date on the latest AI developments and news?

Follow CROPLAND on LinkedIn for ongoing insights, practical examples, and updates on how our Start AI Trajectory continues to support businesses in taking confident, strategic steps with AI.