When most people hear “customer data platform”, they think of customer data storage and activation. And for most organizations, that’s exactly what it is: a repository for customer data pulled from various customer touchpoints. But with data warehouses becoming the main source of truth in the AI Era, that thinking is becoming, well, outdated.
As enterprises continue adopting AI, many are finding that their notions of data storage, access and even ownership are being challenged at a fundamental level. AI, after all, has a unique set of data requirements.
Consider the rise of generative AI and, most recently, AI agents. In no time at all, these innovations have changed core business functions across the enterprise. AI agents, driven by generative AI, have the power to reshape modern Marketing, arming strategists and decision makers with new capabilities from audience and orchestration co-pilots to scalable predictive analytics.
But all that depends on data. To get the most value from their data, enterprises need a customer data platform (CDP) that’s built for these considerations—as well as those yet to come. Let’s explore today’s CDP landscape and how recent innovations are ushering in a new generation of “futureproof” platforms.
Customer data platforms: then vs. now
At its core, a customer data platform is a centralized hub that brings together and activates all of a business’ customer data. Traditionally viewed as a data repository, CDPs have evolved considerably over the past few years with the rise of the data warehouse and AI. Today, CDPs are designed to integrate with a wide array of sophisticated martech tools.
However, not all customer data platforms are created equally. While most modern CDPs can unify data for marketing orchestration and audience segmentation, many struggle when it comes to AI.
To power AI applications, including marketing AI agents, a CDP must be designed with AI in mind. In other words, it must not only unify or tap into customer data from multiple sources; it must also be AI-ready. That’s been a challenge for CDP developers—until now.
Solving the AI readiness challenge
Data quality, integration and/or governance barriers don’t just impede AI development. They’re the reason 90% of AI pilots will fail to move into production in a reasonable timeframe, according to Forbes. Until CDPs address these critical AI readiness barriers, they offer limited value to AI applications.
Fortunately, that’s changing. ActionIQ’s leading Composable CDP joined Uniphore to deliver an AI-first CDP: Zero Data AI Cloud. This first-of-its-kind platform bypasses traditional data barriers with a seamless data fabric that spans any platform, application or cloud environment. Designed to be composable, Zero Data AI Cloud unifies, transforms and activates enterprise customer data—without duplicating, migrating or storing it separately. This composability reduces AI deployment time while maintaining complete control over data assets.
Enterprises need a composable CDP for AI
AI is enabling enterprises to create more personalized, engaging and effective customer experiences. It’s also making the marketplace significantly more competitive. To stay ahead, organizations need a customer data platform that’s built for AI. By leveraging a composable CDP, marketing leaders and their teams can get the data they need for their AI applications and agents—directly from their cloud data warehouse or lakehouse.
As AI continues to redefine customer-business interactions, those with the best AI tools—supported by the best customer data platforms—will have a significant advantage for years to come.
Choosing the right customer data platform
When evaluating customer data platform vendors, enterprises must not only consider their immediate needs but also their long-term goals and business strategies. The right CDP should enable:
- AI-driven personalization for highly tailored customer experiences
- Automated workflows to optimize marketing operations
- Data-driven decision-making using rich, actionable insights
- End-to-end data unity, governance and sovereignty
- A trusted data foundation for developing agents and applications
A composable CDP, like Zero Data AI Cloud, provides the flexibility and scalability businesses need to realize their AI-driven marketing initiatives faster—and to futureproof their data investment in the rapidly evolving world of enterprise AI.
To learn more about the CDP market and other important considerations when choosing a customer data platform, download the 2025 Customer Data Platform Market Guide.
Want a Futureproof CDP?
Read the 2025 Customer Data Platform Market Guide to learn how.