Panel: How AI Is Shifting Data Infrastructure Left | Joe Reis, Vin Vashishta, Carly Taylor, Chad Sanderson | Shift Left Data Conference 2025

The rapid rise of AI has dramatically elevated the value and strategic importance of data, transforming how upstream software engineers perceive and interact with data workflows. In this expert-led panel, industry leaders will share their experiences and insights into effectively bridging the gap between data teams and software engineers. They will discuss practical strategies for proactively managing data infrastructure, enhancing collaboration, and ensuring high-quality data to support advanced AI-driven development initiatives.

Panel: Shift Left Across the Data Lifecycle—Data Contracts, Transformations, Observability, and Catalogs | Prukalpa Sankar, Tristan Handy, Barr Moses, Chad Sanderson | Shift Left Data Conference 2025

Join industry-leading CEOs Chad (Data Contracts), Tristan (Data Transformations), Barr (Data Observability), and Prukalpa (Data Catalogs) who are pioneering new approaches to operationalizing data by “Shifting Left.” This engaging panel will explore how embedding rigorous data management practices early in the data lifecycle reduces issues downstream, enhances data reliability, and empowers software engineers with clear visibility into data expectations. Attendees will gain insights into how data contracts define accountability, how effective transformations ensure data usability at scale, how proactive how proactive data and AI observability drives continuous confidence in data quality, and how catalogs enable data discoverability, accelerating innovation and trust across organizations.

Panel: State of the Data And AI Market | Apoorva Pandhi, Matt Turck, Chris Riccomini, Chad Sanderson | Shift Left Data Conference 2025

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the landscape of software development, driving a fundamental shift towards empowering developers to take control earlier in the development lifecycle—known as "shift left." In this panel, venture capital leaders and industry experts will explore how emerging trends in AI and data technologies are influencing investment decisions, creating new opportunities, and transforming development workflows. Attendees will gain valuable insights into the evolving market dynamics, understand the strategic significance of shifting left in today's AI-driven world, and discover how organizations and developers can stay ahead in this rapidly changing environment.

Data DevOps applies rigorous software development practices—such as version control, automated testing, and governance—to data workflows, empowering software engineers to proactively manage data changes and address data-related issues directly within application code. By adopting a "shift left" approach with Data DevOps, SWE teams become more aware of data requirements, dependencies, and expectations early in the software development lifecycle, significantly reducing risks, improving data quality, and enhancing collaboration.

This session will provide practical strategies for integrating Data DevOps into application development, enabling teams to build more robust data products and accelerate adoption of production AI systems.