AI and Data Horizons

Robert Hodges , CEO of Altinity and a database engineer for more than 40 years whose career runs from Sybase to Continuent, which he led through its sale to VMware, joins the podcast to explain why real-time analytics and transactional data are finally converging. He traces the split back to the mid-1990s, when analytic databases arrived with big pages and columnar storage, and land on agentic AI...

What happens when you point a large language model at a real enterprise data warehouse? Michael Stonebraker's team found out. Using MIT's Oracle warehouse, with 1,400 tables and real queries from the SQL log, the LLM scored zero percent. Not 80. Not 40. Zero. Add agentic AI, RAG, and every prompt-engineering trick available, and the model still got more than four out of five questions wrong. Meanw...

Faisal Hoque , founder of SHADOKA and NextChapter, and the #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Transcend and Reinvent, joins the podcast to argue that the structural-integrity discipline long applied to hardware, software, and networks now has to extend to autonomous agents. Hoque points out that an agent can be spawned in ten minutes, which only raises the bar on what has to hold up unde...

Hannah Hunt discusses the use of software and its value as a fundamental asset in the defense of the country and its global standing. She highlights the significance of having soldiers who can code and build software to meet the challenges of the future operating environment, where warfare is expected to be more agile and occur in contested environments. Hannah's focus is on soldier-led software d...

Bill Nussey , author of Freeing Energy and Partner at Tech Square Ventures,  joins host Michael Gale to discuss how solar and batteries are technologies rather than fuels, and that this single distinction is the most underrated force in energy. Solar has fallen roughly 400-fold in price over four or five decades with batteries on the same trajectory. Unlike every energy system before it, this one...

Shai Shen-Orr and David Harel of Cytoreason talk about the future of precision medicine. The idea of being able to go to your personal doctor and asking how your immune system is doing seems like science fiction, but is likely to be a reality soon. Hear from two leading experts using AI and cell-based research to reveal the future of medicine.  

Rajnikant Gupta , Global Head of Partner Ecosystems and Alliances at Tata Consultancy Services,  argues that enterprise AI stalls not for lack of technology but for lack of a real problem to solve. The fix is what he calls a "decision engine." With host Michael Gale, he traces a shift that runs deeper than tooling: from data-aware to context-aware, reporting to reasoning, automation to autonomy, w...

A conversation with Thomas M. Siebel , Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of C3 AI, and Author of "Digital Transformation", on why the hardest part of AI was never building the technology—it's getting people to use it—and why reskilling and continuous learning are what separate the organizations that succeed from the ones that stall.

At a World Cup match, the clock isn't only measuring the game—it's measuring whether the business behind it can keep up. Dustin Alpert and Frank Conway of Shift4 join the podcast to explain why the world's most demanding venues become the testing ground for cutting-edge commerce, where tens of thousands of fans buy in one tight window and every second counts. They break down why frictionless, "inv...

Daniel Yarmoluk , AI architect and founder of GraphifyMD who is also an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas, joins the podcast to discuss why the context window—not raw model power—has become the real bottleneck for enterprise AI. As token consumption soars and agent workforces scale, Daniel and host Michael Gale reframe the challenge as one of architecture: most context capacity is...

As a billion agents join the workforce, Rob Feldman, Chief Legal Officer at EDB, and Priyanka Jain, VP of Product, AI and Governance at EDB, unpack why this newly converged world of AI and data demands a new kind of governance — one that runs 24/7, at agent speed. Together they explain why the question is no longer "is this agent allowed to do this?" but "is this agent, for this user, with this in...

Diana Wu David , Director of Futures at ServiceNow and a top-ranked global futurist, discusses the radical "multi-stack transformation" facing organizations in 2026. Diana explores the stark divide in AI optimism between the East and West, and how this cultural sentiment shapes global adoption. She also outlines a roadmap for leaders to move past "pilot purgatory" by adopting a "strong, fluid stan...

Telisa Yancy discusses the future of insurance in the rapidly evolving digital and AI-driven world. She highlights the significance of insurance as a crucial purchase for individuals and families and the opportunities for transformation in the industry. Telisa emphasizes the role of data and real-time processing in providing more customer-driven insurance solutions. She envisions traditional lines...

Sarah Fay discusses the topic of personal data ownership and the importance of individuals having control over their own information. We explore the challenges of data privacy and the potential risks of data breaches. The conversation also touched upon the role of regulations like GDPR in protecting individuals' data rights. We considered the benefits and drawbacks of companies buying and selling...

Charlene Li , New York Times bestselling author and business transformation expert, joins the podcast to provide a strategic masterclass on navigating the AI transition. As the co-author of the new book Winning with AI: The 90-Day Blueprint for Success, Charlene argues that the current 87% failure rate in enterprise AI projects stems from treating the technology as a "hammer looking for a nail" ra...

Melissa Grady , former CMO of Cadillac, discusses the motor industry's past, present, and future, focusing on the legendary automaker's 118-year DNA of innovation—from the first electric starter to modern hands-free driving—and how it is now accelerating toward a "full-on" EV reality. Grady also lays out a vision for the future of the luxury vehicle industry, where personalization, sustainability,...

Dr. Seth Dobrin , formerly the first-ever Global Chief AI Officer at IBM and now founder of Arya Labs and Qantm AI, joins the podcast to provide a masterclass in the next generation of artificial intelligence. Seth introduces World Models as physics-based systems that understand causality and 3D space, allowing AI to reason within the physical world by simulating reality much like the human brain....

Dr. John Kotter , New York Times best-selling author and Harvard Business School professor, discusses how leadership remains rooted in human nature even as technology accelerates the rate of change. He explains that leaders must manage the brain's dual channels: the "survive" channel, which scans for threats and generates anxiety, and the "thrive" channel, which fuels passion and energy. To naviga...

Ron Martino , former Executive Vice President at NXP Semiconductors, discusses the emergence of the edge economy and the transition toward a world of 75 billion connected devices. He explores how distributed computing—embedded in everything from autonomous vehicles to agricultural sensors—enables real-time, local data processing that enhances productivity and safety while reducing energy waste. Ma...

Karl Pierburg , SVP, CTO, and Football Strategy & Innovation Officer for the Atlanta Falcons, discusses what it means to operationalize AI and data in a high-stakes, real-time environment. From shaping weekly game plans to enabling smarter in-game adjustments, Karl explains how analytics has evolved from a support function into an essential part of coaching decision-making. The conversation also m...

Nate Yohannes , former Obama administration staffer and former AI product leader at Meta and Microsoft, discusses the imperative of embedding ethics and representation into the design stage of AI to mitigate unintended societal harms. He advocates for public-private partnerships to bridge the digital divide and democratize access to technology for underserved communities . Yohannes highlights how...

John Hagel , renowned author of Net Gain and former Co-Chairman of the Deloitte Center for the Edge, discusses the evolution of virtual communities and the shifting landscape of digital trust. He emphasizes the "Zoom Out / Zoom In" strategy as a way for leaders to identify massive future opportunities while taking immediate, practical steps to achieve them. The conversation explores the need to mo...

Raja Rajamannar discusses the changing role of the Chief Marketing Officer. The conversation highlights the need for CMOs to embrace both classical marketing skills and contemporary knowledge of technology and data in order to stay relevant. 

Blake Russell discusses cloning and its societal implications. He emphasizes the emotional connection between people and their pets and the potential of cloning to extend that bond. We discuss the need for education and awareness about cloning, the possibility of genetic alterations, and the importance of regulatory frameworks. 

Charlene Li discusses the future of leadership, technology, and societal changes. We delve into how leadership styles are evolving from hierarchical to relational, emphasizing the importance of continuous transformation. We explore also the potential impact of quantum computing and the possibilities of integrating technology into human bodies.