Agents of Data

7: Episode 7: What's Next for Enterprise AI in 2026?

What does the future hold for enterprise AI? Why do more than 95% of AI projects fail to get off the ground?  This festive seasonal edition of Agents of Data features hosts Julian, Joe and Sam reflect on 2025 - a year when agentic AI became a reality - and make their predictions for 2026, including the rise of multi-agent systems, the importance of "memory" for personalization, and massive productivity gains.  The discussion covers topics like AI fatigue, the need for better human prompting, the phenomenon of "AI washing," and the hosts' wish lists for AI advancements, such as moving to a "push" model of proactive assistance and for AI systems to have a better understanding of real-world context.

6: Becoming AI Native

AI-native companies win on speed, scale, and resilience. This episode shows how leaders can transform their organisations by adopting agentic and generative AI across engineering, data and analytics.  Sam and Julian describe the move from early experimentation to agent-driven workflows - coding agents, automated research and context-aware copilots that materially expand output. They explain why CDOs must lead this shift, how knowledge curation becomes as important as code, and why strong context and testing frameworks separate real productivity from noise.  The conversation also outlines the risks of delaying adoption, the challenges of building in-house without constant model updates and the opportunity for every function - from engineering to operations - to augment human capability.  The guidance is clear: target high-value use cases, choose tools that learn your business, and build a culture that embraces continuous reinvention.

5: The 0-1 of AI Adoption

In this episode of Agents of Data, AI leader Sarah Schlobohm joins hosts Ed Thompson, Julian Wiffen and Sam Perrin to unpack the strategic realities of agentic AI and what it means for data leaders, their teams and their organizations.  The panel explores how to prepare data and people for AI adoption, identify automation opportunities and balance innovation with governance, auditability and human oversight. From managing PII and unstructured data to building systems that learn safely and effectively, this conversation delivers practical insights for leaders shaping their AI strategy and navigating the path toward intelligent, trustworthy automation.

4: Special Episode: AI Behind the Scenes - with TEK Global Systems

AI is transforming data — but are your teams ready? In this episode of Agents of Data, Angie Hastings (Matillion) and Shishir Shrivastava (TEK Global Systems) explore how AI is redefining the role of data teams and reshaping entire organizations. They trace the journey from monolithic systems to the cloud and AI era, unpacking real challenges like silos, data quality and governance. Shishir shares powerful use cases where AI is driving smarter integration, stronger governance, and deeper analytics - and why mastering data quality and AI governance is now essential to staying competitive. Tune in for practical insights, real examples, and a clear vision for the future of data in an AI-driven world.

2: Semantic Layers: AI Only Knows What It Sees

This episode of the Agents of Data podcast double-clicks into semantic layers, exploring their definition, function and the challenges associated with their implementation.  Frank Weigel, Chief Product Officer at Matillion, joins the discussion to address issues like stale data, ownership battles and the evolving roles of humans in the context of semantic layers and agentic AI.  The conversation explores how organizations currently store semantic information, the advantages of LLMs in handling inconsistent data, and the potential for a shift in responsibility towards maintaining semantic layers.  The guests also discuss the future of semantic layers, considering whether they will be centralized or fragmented, and the importance of visibility and explainability within these systems.