The questions we hear today about wine + data are not the questions we heard when Enolytics first started three years ago.

This is a very, very good thing.

The first wave of questions were about WHAT. What kind of data is out there, that is, and what kinds of companies have it.

The second wave of questions were about HOW. How can we use the data? And, how do we extract and automate it, so the processes are streamlined?

Today we’re seeing a third wave of questions, and they are all about the WHO. Who are the people using the data? Who are the people generating the data? And who, ultimately, are the people who will be served by it?

These questions, and the focus on the WHO and the people of wine + data, are why we see this evolution as a very, very good thing.

It has to do with something I mentioned in last week’s post about “Small AI” (where AI stands for Artificial Intelligence). For all of the smart technology and all of the sophisticated tools of big data analysis, the “small” part of the equation still matters and will always matter.

The “small” part are the people standing at the end of the data line, so to speak, who take the analysis and interpret it for the rest of us. The “small” part is the nuance of understanding, which is no small contributor to data’s value for the industry.

What I wrote last week bears repeating: We still need real people doing human things.

The real person writing this post needs real people reading it, who are sincerely interested in making smart changes for the better of their business, who want to continue the conversation or start up a new one.

Thank you for being our WHO.

And thank you, as always, for reading.