# AI Pipeline (Data Pipeline)

> An AI (or data) pipeline is the automated flow that collects, cleans, and feeds data into an AI model and delivers its output to where work happens — the plumbing that makes a model useful.

_Source: https://plenaura.com/glossary/ai-pipeline · Last updated: 2026-06-03 · Plenaura_

## Key points

- Most of the effort in a real AI project is the pipeline, not the model.
- Without it, even a great model stays a science experiment.
- Connects your existing systems so AI acts on live data, not exports.

## FAQ

### Why is the pipeline such a big part of an AI project?

Because a model is only as useful as the data reaching it and the place its output lands. Building the pipeline — ingestion, cleaning, integration, delivery — is what turns a model into a working product.