[Online] What AI Needs to Understand Your Data Products (And Why It Matters)

​Continuing our DPM webinar series aimed at upskilling & knowledge-sharing, we’re joined by Juha Korpela - independent consultant and long-time friend of our DPM community!

​"AI won't work without a solid data foundation."

​You've seen this headline everywhere. Your leadership is asking about it. Consultants are selling it. But what does it actually mean in practice?

​Most teams interpret this as: clean your data, fix your pipelines, centralize your infrastructure. And while those things help, they miss the fundamental problem: AI systems (and your human users) can't use data they can't understand.

​You can have pristine data quality, perfectly engineered pipelines, and a modern data platform. But if an AI agent can't tell what "order_status" means in your business context, or how your definition of "customer" differs across domains, none of that technical excellence matters. Your data products exist, but they can't explain themselves.

​This is the real "data foundation" problem. And it's what actually determines whether your AI initiatives will succeed or stall.

​Join us as Juha Korpela, a data modeling expert who's spent years implementing semantic layers for Finland's largest enterprises, unpacks what's actually missing from most data products: the metadata and semantic models that make them discoverable and understandable by both humans and AI.

​What we'll unpack

• ​What "data foundation for AI" actually means beyond data quality and pipelines

• ​Why metadata is not optional anymore - what AI and human users actually need to understand your data products

• ​The connection between data models, business concepts, and data product documentation

• ​How semantic layers work: connecting canonical business definitions to technical implementations

• ​Practical approaches to building this capability in data teams of 20-30+ people

• ​The operating model question: who actually does this work, and how does it fit into data product management?

• ​Real examples from manufacturing, energy, and telecom companies implementing these approaches

​What you'll walk away with

• ​A clear understanding of what "semantic layer" actually means in practice (beyond the buzzword)

• ​Recognition of the metadata gap in your own data products - and why AI initiatives struggle

• ​Practical starting points for documenting business concepts and connecting them to data products

• ​Understanding of how this fits into the broader data product operating model

• ​Ideas for who should own semantic documentation in your organization

​Perfect for: Data product managers, analytics engineers, data platform leads, and anyone responsible for making data products that others (or AI systems) can actually find and use.

​​​About our speaker

​Juha Korpela is an independent consultant specializing in data modeling, metadata management, and data product operating models. He works primarily with Finland's largest enterprises across manufacturing, energy, and telecommunications, helping them build semantic layers that make their data products discoverable and interpretable. Juha is also co-founder of Helsinki Data Week, an annual conference bringing together Finland's data community. His approach combines conceptual data modeling with practical implementation, focusing on how organizations can systematically document business semantics and connect them to technical data products. Check out Juha's newsletter, Common Sense Data!

​How to join

​This livestream will be held privately inside our new digital space!

​Make sure you’ve joined us on Circle - it’s free.

​About the Data & AI Product community​

​​​​Data and AI product management is still a young discipline, and there aren't many spaces dedicated to learning from peers.

​​​​So we started this meetup in 2023 to change that! Since then, it's grown into a vibrant community with chapters in London, Barcelona, and Paris.

​​​​Whether or not “product” is in your job title, if you’re involved in shaping data, analytics, and AI initiatives (e.g. product managers, strategists, BAs, data scientists, engineers, analysts) you’ll find like-minded people here.

​​​​This is an informal, welcoming space to swap lessons, share challenges, and enjoy drinks and snacks along the way 😊

​Quick FAQ

• ​Will this event be recorded? Yes, we will upload the recording here, along with previous DPM Community webinars

• ​If I sign up to this event, will I be opting into any marketing emails? No. We only use the Luma mailing list to invite you to upcoming community events and share community updates (like our end of year membership survey). You can always opt out of the Luma calendar.

• ​Can I mention this to a friend or colleague? Yes, of course! If they're based in London, send them this event. If they're not, it might be better to send them the LinkedIn Live link directly, so they don't get invited to all our in-person meetups too.

• ​Why are you doing this? Data & AI Product Management is a nascent field, and we created this community to bring together practitioners and help share our skills and experiences with those newer to DPM.