MD&M West 2026 Highlights Importance of Data for Effective AI in Manufacturing

Keynote speaker warns 'garbage in, poison out' for AI without solid data foundations

Feb. 4, 2026 at 3:31pm

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The 2026 Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) West trade show in Anaheim, California featured over 1,700 exhibitors and emphasized the need for manufacturers to have a strong data strategy in place before deploying AI solutions. Guidewheel CEO Lauren Dunford's keynote presentation cautioned that 'garbage in, poison out' applies to AI, and urged companies to focus on building 'carbon in, diamonds out' data foundations to unlock AI's full potential.

Why it matters

As AI continues to be touted as a transformative technology for manufacturing, this keynote highlights the critical importance of having robust, high-quality data as the foundation. Without that, AI risks amplifying existing problems rather than driving improvements. The insights from MD&M West underscore the need for manufacturers to prioritize data strategy alongside their AI ambitions.

The details

Dunford's keynote emphasized that AI acts as an amplifier of a manufacturer's existing operations - for better or worse. She warned that 'if you're starting with bad information, AI will potentially come out with a very wrong but very confident direction for you to go in.' To avoid this, she recommended that companies work backwards from their desired outcomes to determine the necessary data granularity, and collect data as close to the source as possible. Dunford also cautioned against plugging AI directly into a PLC, noting that the only common component across all industrial equipment is the power they draw to operate. This is where Dunford's company, Guidewheel, comes in with its non-invasive clip-on sensors that monitor electric current data to track equipment performance and availability.

  • MD&M West 2026 kicked off its first day on February 4, 2026.

The players

Lauren Dunford

Founder and CEO of Guidewheel, a company that provides non-invasive sensors to monitor industrial equipment performance.

Guidewheel

A company that provides non-invasive clip-on sensors to monitor electric current data and track industrial equipment performance and availability.

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What they’re saying

“For years, we've said garbage in, garbage out. With AI, it's actually garbage in, poison out. If you're starting with bad information, AI will potentially come out with a very wrong but very confident direction for you to go in.”

— Lauren Dunford, Founder and CEO, Guidewheel

“If we want to avoid garbage in, poison out, then we want to think about what's the opposite. How can we think about carbon in, diamonds out; diamonds being the right insight and the right guidance at the right time.”

— Lauren Dunford, Founder and CEO, Guidewheel

What’s next

Manufacturers attending MD&M West 2026 will likely be evaluating how to build stronger data foundations to support their AI initiatives in the coming year.

The takeaway

This keynote from the MD&M West 2026 trade show underscores that for manufacturers to truly unlock the transformative potential of AI, they must first prioritize developing robust, high-quality data strategies. Without that foundation, AI risks amplifying existing problems rather than driving meaningful improvements.