The relationship between AI assistants and data professionals is evolving rapidly, creating both opportunities and challenges. These tools can supercharge workflows by generating SQL, assisting with exploratory analysis, and connecting directly to databases—but they're far from perfect. How do you maintain the right balance between leveraging AI capabilities and preserving your fundamental skills? As data teams face mounting pressure to deliver AI-ready data and demonstrate business value, what strategies can ensure your work remains trustworthy? With issues ranging from biased algorithms to poor data quality potentially leading to serious risks, how can organizations implement responsible AI practices while still capitalizing on the positive applications of this technology? Christina Stathopoulos is an international data specialist who regularly serves as an executive advisor, consultant, educator, and public speaker. With expertise in analytics, data strategy, and data visualization, she has built a distinguished career in technology, including roles at Fortune 500 companies. Most recently, she spent over five years at Google and Waze, leading data strategy and driving cross-team projects. Her professional journey has spanned both the United States and Spain, where she has combined her passion for data, technology, and education to make data more accessible and impactful for all. Christina also plays a unique role as a “data translator,” helping to bridge the gap between business and technical teams to unlock the full value of data assets. She is the founder of Dare to Data, a consultancy created to formalize and structure her work with some of the world’s leading companies, supporting and empowering them in their data and AI journeys. Current and past clients include IBM, PepsiCo, PUMA, Shell, Whirlpool, Nitto, and Amazon Web Services.

In the episode, Richie and Christina explore the role of AI agents in data analysis, the evolving workflow with AI assistance, the importance of maintaining foundational skills, the integration of AI in data strategy, the significance of trustworthy AI, and much more.

Links Mentioned in the Show: Dare to DataJulius AIConnect with ChristinaCourse - Introduction to SQL with AIRelated Episode: The Data to AI Journey with Gerrit Kazmaier, VP & GM of Data Analytics at Google CloudRewatch RADAR AI 

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Combining LLMs with enterprise knowledge bases is creating powerful new agents that can transform business operations. These systems are dramatically improving on traditional chatbots by understanding context, following conversations naturally, and accessing up-to-date information. But how do you effectively manage the knowledge that powers these agents? What governance structures need to be in place before deployment? And as we look toward a future with physical AI and robotics, what fundamental computing challenges must we solve to ensure these technologies enhance rather than complicate our lives? Jun Qian is an accomplished technology leader with extensive experience in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Currently serving as Vice President of Generative AI Services at Oracle since May 2020, Jun founded and leads the Engineering and Science group, focusing on the creation and enhancement of Generative AI services and AI Agents. Previously held roles include Vice President of AI Science and Development at Oracle, Head of AI and Machine Learning at Sift, and Principal Group Engineering Manager at Microsoft, where Jun co-founded Microsoft Power Virtual Agents. Jun's career also includes significant contributions as the Founding Manager of Amazon Machine Learning at AWS and as a Principal Investigator at Verizon. In the episode, Richie and Jun explore the evolution of AI agents, the unique features of ChatGPT, the challenges and advancements in chatbot technology, the importance of data management and security in AI, and the future of AI in computing and robotics, and much more. Links Mentioned in the Show: OracleConnect with JunCourse: Introduction to AI AgentsJun at DataCamp RADARRelated Episode: A Framework for GenAI App and Agent Development with Jerry Liu, CEO at LlamaIndexRewatch RADAR AI  New to DataCamp? Learn on the go using the DataCamp mobile appEmpower your business with world-class data and AI skills with DataCamp for business

Generative AI and data are more interconnected than ever. If you want quality in your AI product, you need to be connected to a database with high quality data. But with so many database options and new AI tools emerging, how do you ensure you’re making the right choices for your organization? Whether it’s enhancing customer experiences or improving operational efficiency, understanding the role of your databases in powering AI is crucial.  Andi Gutmans is the General Manager and Vice President for Databases at Google. Andi’s focus is on building, managing, and scaling the most innovative database services to deliver the industry’s leading data platform for businesses. Prior to joining Google, Andi was VP Analytics at AWS running services such as Amazon Redshift. Prior to his tenure at AWS, Andi served as CEO and co-founder of Zend Technologies, the commercial backer of open-source PHP. Andi has over 20 years of experience as an open source contributor and leader. He co-authored open source PHP. He is an emeritus member of the Apache Software Foundation and served on the Eclipse Foundation’s board of directors. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. In the episode, Richie and Andi explore databases and their relationship with AI and GenAI, key features needed in databases for AI, GCP database services, AlloyDB, federated queries in Google Cloud, vector databases, graph databases, practical use cases of AI in databases and much more.  Links Mentioned in the Show: GCPConnect with AndiAlloyDB for PostgreSQLCourse: Responsible AI Data ManagementRelated Episode: The Power of Vector Databases and Semantic Search with Elan Dekel, VP of Product at PineconeSign up to RADAR: Forward Edition New to DataCamp? Learn on the go using the DataCamp mobile appEmpower your business with world-class data and AI skills with DataCamp for business

Spatial computing is revolutionizing the way we interact with digital and physical worlds, but its adoption comes with questions about practicality and return on investment. As businesses explore this cutting-edge technology, they must consider how it can enhance productivity and streamline operations. What are the best strategies to integrate spatial computing into your current systems? How can you ensure that it not only boosts efficiency but also delivers measurable benefits to your bottom line?  Cathy Hackl is a web3 and metaverse strategist, tech futurist, speaker and author. She's worked with metaverse-related companies such as HTC VIVE, Magic Leap, and AWS, and currently consults with some of the world's leading brands, including P&G, Clinique, Ralph Lauren, Orlando Economic Partnership and more. Hackl is one of the world's first Chief Metaverse Officers and the co-founder of Journey, where she works with luxury, fashion, and beauty brands to create successful metaverse and web3 strategies and helps them build worlds in platforms like Roblox, Fortnite, Decentraland, The Sandbox, and beyond. She is widely regarded as one of the leading thinkers on the Metaverse. Irena Cronin is SVP of Product for DADOS Technology, which is making an Apple Vision Pro data analytics and visualization app. She is also the CEO of Infinite Retina, which helps companies develop and implement AI, AR, and other new technologies for their businesses. Before this, she worked as an equity research analyst and gained extensive experience in evaluating both public and private companies. In the episode, Richie, Cathy and Irina explore spatial computing, the current viability of spacial computing and it's prominence alongside the release of Apple's Vision Pro, expected effects of spatial computing on gaming and entertainment, industrial applications as well as data visualization and AI integration opportunities of spatial computing, how businesses can leverage spatial computing, future developments in the space and much more.  Links Mentioned in the Show: Cathy’s BookIrena’s BooksApple Vision ProMarvel Studios and ILM Immersive Announce 'What If...? - An Immersive Story'[Course] Artificial Intelligence (AI) StrategyRelated Episode: Why the Future of AI in Data will be Weird with Benn Stancil, CTO at Mode & Field CTO at ThoughtSpotSign up to RADAR: AI Edition New to DataCamp? Learn on the go using the DataCamp mobile appEmpower your business with world-class data and AI skills with DataCamp for business

As companies scale and become more successful, new horizons open, but with them come unexpected challenges. The influx of revenue and expansion of operations often reveal hidden complexities that can hinder efficiency and inflate costs. In this tricky situation, data teams can find themselves entangled in a web of obstacles that slow down their ability to innovate and respond to ever-changing business needs. Enter cloud analytics—a transformative solution that promises to break down barriers and unleash potential. By migrating analytics to the cloud, organizations can navigate the growing pains of success, cutting costs, enhancing flexibility, and empowering data teams to work with agility and precision. John Knieriemen is the Regional Business Lead for North America at Exasol, the market-leading high-performance analytics database. Prior to joining Exasol, he served as Vice President and General Manager at Teradata during an 11-year tenure with the company. John is responsible for strategically scaling Exasol’s North America business presence across industries and expanding the organization’s partner network.  Solongo Erdenekhuyag is the former Customer Success and Data Strategy Leader at Exasol. Solongo is skilled in strategy, business development, program management, leadership, strategic partnerships, and management. In the episode, Richie, Solongo, and John cover the motivation for moving analytics to the cloud, economic triggers for migration, success stories from organizations who have migrated to the cloud, the challenges and potential roadblocks in migration, the importance of flexibility and open-mindedness and much more.  Links from the Show ExasolAmazon S3Azure Blob StorageGoogle Cloud StorageBigQueryAmazon RedshiftSnowflake[Course] Understanding Cloud Computing[Course] AWS Cloud Concepts