An actionable framework for AI‐ready data

Journal article

Data is the foundation of AI. Poor‐quality data drive up costs and can lead to hidden problems for AI models, especially in complex fields such as healthcare and manufacturing. Meanwhile, biased data negatively affect the performance of AI models, and untested evaluation datasets can result in false positives or overestimates of model accuracy. For data publishers to realize their true potential in supporting the AI ecosystem and its impacts, they should take measures to ensure that their datasets support AI practitioners' needs; in other words, their data should be made AI‐ready. In this article, we present a framework for data publishers to follow to make their datasets AI‐ready. The framework provides specific, actionable guidance based on previous work and experience at the Open Data Institute and augmented with insights from literature and discussions with a range of experts. We first define AI‐ready data before briefly discussing a selection of frameworks in the literature and where they are insufficient. We then provide a visual snapshot of our framework for AI‐ready data, and a subsequent in‐depth discussion of its criteria. Finally, we demonstrate the usage of our framework with a number of example datasets. We conclude by discussing the further steps that should be taken for the entire open data ecosystem to be made AI‐ready in order to realize its true potential in supporting an innovative future.

Authors: Majithia, N; Carey‐Wilson, T; Simperl, E; Shadbolt, N

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Wiley
• Journal: AI Magazine
• Volume: 47
• Issue: 1
• Article number: e70054
• Publication date: 2026-02-21
• Acceptance date: 2026-02-11
• DOI: 10.1002/aaai.70054
• EISSN: 2371-9621
• ISSN: 0738-4602
• Language: English