News Roundup - March 2026
Frictionless Decisions brings you counterintuitive, original, jargon-free ideas for connecting data to decisions. Every week.
My friend Yakov completely nailed it with his recent Frictionless Data guest post: the “average answer” problem is real.
You’ll see other leading writers highlight it in this month’s News Roundup. It’s driving many writers to refocus on normal data management strategies. And we can’t ignore the role of compute power in accelerating data applications, so I’m including articles now on trends in semiconductors. An upcoming Frictionless Decisions series on business intelligence strategies from the chip business will follow!
The articles below suggest a deeper, more thoughtful approach than most. Digesting all this takes a lot of time (which you probably don’t have), so I’ve started condensing and curating the best articles and posts I’ve read on this topic for you.
Give them a read!
Researchers Asked LLMs for Strategic Advice. They Got “Trendslop” in Return
by Angelo Romasanta, Llewellyn D.W. Thomas, and Natalia Levina, Harvard Business Review, March 16, 2026.
Better prompting doesn’t improve the average-answer problem. More contextualization doesn’t either. Did we really need a massive 30,000-iteration test to prove this? Well, you’ll get that here anyway. The author’s conclusion won’t surprise you either: they all use the same training data. Language models gravitate toward the same socially acceptable responses - the average answer.
The Trillion-Dollar Rebranding
by Jessica Talisman, Intentional Arrangement, January 28, 2026.
Can AI cause real harm? Yes, and if you’re not aware of how, you could become part of the problem. Talisman shares an urgent - and personal - ethical warning, one that’s both obvious and ignored. Business leaders and pastors alike should give this one a read.
Autonomous language-image generation loops converge to generic visual motifs00299-5)
by Frida Proschinger Åström, Jory Schossau, Patterns: A Process Journal, January 9, 2026.
The average-answer phenomenon doesn’t just occur in questions of strategy; it also infects visuals. In an amazing set of tests, the authors find a trend they call “visual elevator music.” Ironically, I’ll bet your LLMs start using this term soon! Thank you to Jessica Talisman for this link.
Long Live Systems of Record
by Jamin Ball, Clouded Judgement, December 12, 2025.
Another author echoes a Frictionless Data theme - the importance of systems of record (SOR). He focuses on systems of record for metrics, not master data, so you might want toreread this post for a complete discussion of systems of record.
The Data Stack - Good News / Bad News
by Dan Linstedt and Cindi Meyersohn, William’s Substack, February 16, 2026
“The modern narrative surrounding platforms has quietly shifted responsibility away from design and toward procurement.” Thank you to these authors for a nice restatement of my thesis in Frictionless Data! The authors elegantly distinguish data architecture from technology, and it could help IT leaders start acting like data strategists instead of purchasing agents.
Cultural Components of Data Strategy in the Age of AI
by Dia Adams, William’s Substack, March 9, 2026.
Adams’s experience working with the White House on data strategy gives her voice credibility. She writes a solid article on connecting the process to data, and it echoes Frictionless Data. Adams calls “cultural components” the missing link, which I take to mean business awareness. Funny how repackaging an old idea helps.
How the US Won Back Chip Manufacturing
by Jordan Schnieder, China Talk, February 17, 2026.
What’s the real driver behind the exploding AI capabilities today? It’s computing power. I predict that changes in the semiconductor manufacturing landscape will be a newsy topic over the next 18 months, as new fabs come online across the US. Frictionless Data readers will hear much more about this and get insight into how a good BI strategy could be America’s secret weapon in the Chip Wars. This is a really long read, but if you’re tracking this drama, dig in!
To remind you of this week’s data concept, enjoy Safety Dance by Men Without Hats, from the Frictionless Data Spotify playlist.
For the full story about making data flow faster and better, check out Frictionless Data on Amazon.
