In this episode of the Lights on Data show, hosts George and Diana welcome Richmond Alake, a developer advocate at MongoDB with expertise in AI, ML, and computer vision. Richmond shares his views on the future of generative AI (Gen AI) form factors, discussing current trends like LLM-powered chatbots and future possibilities such as agentic systems, voice inputs, and always-on AI applications.

The discussion also delves into concerns and strategies to mitigate risks associated with AI, particularly in critical industries like healthcare and finance. Richmond emphasizes the need for creative solutions and thought leadership in navigating the rapidly evolving AI landscape. He also shares insights on how MongoDB supports the AI ecosystem, including resources for developers.

Check out:

• MongoDB articles by Richmond Alake
• MongoDB Developer Center
  
• Try MongoDB Atlas for free

Join us for an insightful episode of the Lights On Data Show with Fern Halper, VP and Senior Director of TDWI Research for Advanced Analytics. We delve into TDWI's AI readiness framework and explore key dimensions crucial for successful AI initiatives. Fern shares expert insights on data, operations, and skills readiness, highlighting strategies to overcome adoption barriers.
Discover the nuances between AI governance, data governance, and analytics governance, and learn where organizations should start. Explore common challenges in governance implementation across industries and practical recommendations from TDWI. Gain foresight into emerging governance trends and how to prepare for the future of AI.
Don't miss this enlightening conversation on navigating AI readiness and governance complexities. Tune in to empower your organization's AI journey!

To delve into the fascinating world of Generative BI, we're excited to host Avi Perez, the CTO and co-founder of Pyramid Analytics. In this episode, Avi will shed light on Generative BI and its transformative potential for businesses. Avi is at the forefront of driving innovation and development in the realm of enterprise analytics platforms and Pyramid Business and Decision Intelligence platform.

For the first time since we've started our show, we've met in person to record this episode with the following data influencers: Kate Strachnyi (Founder of Datacated), Ben Taylor (Chief AI Evangelist at DataRobot), Scott Taylor (The Data Whisperer), Christina Stathopoulos (Analytical Lead at Waze), and yours truly, Diana Andreea Firican, and George Firican.

We talked about putting the lights on data (and people), cyberbullying, being prolific on LinkedIn, the importance of online communities, and much more.

A lot of companies are struggling with creating a data culture. A culture that would be characterized by data-driven decision making. A culture where data is truly treated as an asset and where data quality is everyone's reasonability.
So as a company, how can you setup a data culture? A data culture such as TikTok's.

Join this episode's guest, Saquiful Alam, that will address this very important topic.

Saqif is right now a Program Manager for Trust and Safety for TikTok, working in the South Asian markets. Besides that, he is an Analytics Adviser for Intelligent Machines Limited, and a Data Trainer and Consultant, focusing on Data driven Decision Making, Story-telling with data, Data Strategy and Culture and Machine Learning.

Are you starting out in data science? Do you want to build your data science portfolio? Then don't miss this Lights On Data Show episode with our guest, Michael Galarnyk - Developer Relations at Anyscale. We will address:

• Why building a portfolio is important
• How can one address their lack of work experience
• Examples of work/projects to include or not to include in a portfolio
• Resume tips
• Networking tips
• Best practices and recommendations to make your portfolio and resume stronger

How can the implementation of your data catalog reconcile IT and Business? Join us on this next Lights On Data Show, along with Laurent Dresse - Head of Consulting at DataGalaxy, and learn more about:

• The challenges that a disconnect between IT & Business bring
• How these issues can be addressed through a data catalog
• How a data catalog will help reconcile IT & the Business 

The video version of this podcast also has a live demo at the end so that you can see how this could also be applied in your environment. You can watch that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jyejy97N7RM

Data is the most important asset in the organization. Should data then be treated data as a service or as a product?
Join us and Greg Coquillo, Linkedin Top Voice 2020 for Data Science & Artificial Intelligence and Technology Manager at Amazon, as we'll address:

• How to treat data as a product
• What a data team should look like
• Why culture matters
• What are the characteristics of a good data platform and how can it help standardize data products?
• Quantum computing and other interesting tidbits

Let's learn what a data governance maturity model is, what types are out there, and how you can measure your own maturity level - in particular with OvalEdge's. Let's get these insights from Sharad Varshney, CEO of OvalEdge.

Have you ever thought of tokenizing your skills, digital and physical assets? What is tokenization anyways? 

Tooba Durraze, Lead of Growth Strategies and Digital Membership at the World Economic Forum, will address the:
- Tokenization of economy
- How you can tokenize your work
- NFTs, tokenization case studies and more

Join our today's guest, Ben Taylor - Chief AI Evangelist at DataRobot, as we'll talk about augmented intelligence and how AI and humans can work together. Plus interesting projects that include AI and lasers :).

Our guest, Joel Solloway - Partner at EventWorks4D will tackle the topic of holograms. What are they, what are their benefits, and of course, their applications. Step into the future and join us on this very captivating episode.

What are the four levels of analytics? What about data literacy? How do these tie in with the data culture and business strategy?

Join this episode of the Lights On Data Show with our guest, Jordan Morrow - the Godfather of Data Literacy, and learn about all of this. Jordan is the Head of Data, Design, and Management Skills at Pluralsight, and the author of "Be Data Literate: The Data Literacy Skills Everyone Needs To Succeed"

Join us for a heartfelt conversation with Jeremy Adamson, AI Strategy Leader and author of "Geeks with Empathy." Discover why empathy is the key to unlocking success in data-driven environments and learn practical strategies for cultivating empathy within your data team dynamics. Jeremy shares insights from his book on building meaningful relationships with clients and colleagues, and explores real-world examples illustrating how empathy fosters innovation and collaboration in data teams. Tune in and embark on a journey towards building a culture of empathy within your data team. You can get "Geeks with Empathy" at your local Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Geeks-Empathy-Jeremy-Adamson/dp/1738310809/

Learn how to seek, solicit, & speak data (and 2 hidden Ss). Plus, how should you align your data strategies accordingly? 

We are joined by Kimberly Herrington, Data Journalist & Creator of #BuffaloBusinessIntelligence.

Data literacy is the ability to read, understand, create, and communicate data as information. I think in today's world any organization needs to invest in their employees to gain this ability. But how should that be done?

Join us and Sharad Varshney, OvalEdge CEO, to learn how a Business Glossary can help with Data Literacy. Yes, a business glossary - the gift that keeps on giving.

Do you want to hear great stories on how data drives decision making? Then join this episode of the Lights On Data Show with international keynote speaker, Dr. Joe Perez.

• Our guest has more than 35 years of experience to the stage as an IT/higher ed professional.
• He has served as a Business Intelligence Specialist at NC State University and is currently serving as Senior Systems Analyst at the NC Department of Health & Human Services, as well as Chief Technology Officer at SolonTek Corporation
• Additionally, he stays active in the IT community with more than 11,000 LinkedIn followers.
• We are happy to have him as our guest, as he is a highly recommended and critically acclaimed international keynote speaker, data viz/analytics expert, and specialist in efficiency/process improvement
• He is indeed a much sought-after resource and speaks at dozens of conferences each year.
• He "Brings Data to Life and Life to Data!"

Data scientist, statistician, podcaster, and an ARTIST of data science. Join us for this live Q&A episode with a thought leader in the data science space, Harpreet Sahota.

If you've joined any of his open office hours for data science you will understand why he's such a valued mentor of over 2,500 up-and-coming data scientists. Harpreet is a data science unicorn with strong business acumen, statistical background, modelling capabilities, data engineering, and machine learning engineering know-hows. His knowledge of these topics and passion for data are showcased at every step. As the host of the Artists of Data Science podcast he's putting the most interesting topics into focus and continuously gives back to the data community.

Nate Nichols, Chief Scientist, and Cassidy Shield, VP of NarrativeScience will address:
- how to overcome data storytelling challenges
- the impediments of bringing data to people
- how to create a narrative to drive action

Tune in to learn from these two experts.

The human side of data is a crucial side that is sometimes overlooked. How can we better work with each other and with data? What should we know about the process of listening actively to what people say and don’t say, how body language factors in the velocity of a data team, how non-verbal communication can work well in remote teams, and how this ties in to design-thinking, evolutionary architectures, and shorter time to value.
Plus, what's the connection between yoga and data?!

Join us on this insightful session with Loris Marini, the founder and host of the Data Project. After exploring the world of quantum mechanics he stumbled into data science. As it turned out, data was fragmented and unreliable, so most of his work was on data architecture and data engineering. Today he helps organisations manage and use their data to protect and grow their most important relationships.

What's the missing link in your data program?
Tom Redman, the Data Doc, returns to our show to share the results of a long-time research program that should fundamentally change how companies manage data and put it to work.

Do you want to understand how to create and implement a value driven data strategy? Then join us on this episode with Samir Sharma, CEO & Founder of datazuum.

Data literacy is the ability to read, understand, create, and communicate data as information. In this show we will be joined by the founder & CEO of DataLiteracy.com, Ben Jones, as we'll address this topic and see how we can all grow in data literacy.

Let's talk about data storytelling, its importance and best practices with world renowned Kate Strachnyi.

Join us for a special edition of the Lights On Data Show as we celebrate International Women's Day by highlighting the remarkable contributions of women in the data industry. In this episode, we'll hear from a diverse panel of women working in various roles within the data space, sharing their insights, experiences, and stories that inspire and empower. Our guests will provide a brief overview of their journey in the data industry, sharing what initially drew them to this field and the unique challenges and opportunities they've encountered along the way. As we celebrate International Women's Day, our guests will share messages of encouragement and advice for aspiring women considering a career in the data industry. ​ Tune in to this inspiring episode as we shine a light on the remarkable achievements and contributions of women in the data industry, and gain valuable insights that inspire and empower us all.

Do you want to learn more about advanced analytics applications on imaging? Then you shouldn't miss this episode of Lights On Data Show.

The applications and benefits are plenty. It can cover anything from satellite to pathogens, such as:
- urban planning
- disease detection
- commercial assessment
- medical diagnostic
- economic forecasting

Join us and Dawn Holl, Executive VP at Reveal Global Consulting, as we go over practical examples and uses cases of using advanced analytics on imaging, including how AI can be applied to satellite or even nanoscopic images to yield new actionable insights into complex challenges.

We are joined by these amazing Data Scientists: Danny Ma, Joe Reis, Koo Ping Shung, and David Langer as we'll talk about all things data science.

David Langer: Founder of Dave on Data and TDWI data analytics instructor
Koo Ping Shung: AI & Analytics Instructor, LinkedIn Top Voices 2020, Co-Founder of AI Professionals Association, and Data Science Rex
Joe Reis: Adjunct Professor at University of Utah, and CEO of Ternary Data
Danny Ma: Founder & CEO of Sydney Data Science, and Data with Danny

We're joined by Thom Ives, Ph.D., data scientist extraordinaire, with an extensive experience in engineering, data science, machine learning and AI and much more. We'll talk about his journey, the many uses and value of Python, and of course plenty of recommendations for anyone looking to build their career in data science.

How safe are we in the digital world as an individual and as a company? Together with Matthew Rosenquist, renowned cybersercurity expert and the Chief Information Security Officer at Eclipz, we'll uncover various cybersecurity insights.

Tackling bad data quality is one of the major hurdles that a company is facing. So how do you change that?
Join us and Sharad Varshney, OvalEdge CEO, to learn what are some of the best practices for improving data quality.

Join us and the Founder & CEO of AnalyticsIQ, Dave Kelly to understand why blending cognitive psychology with data science allows one to predict things about 200M+ individuals. Plus much more!

This is the US Data Privacy Shield!   Beth Winters (Licensed Attorney and Solutions Marketing Manager at Aparavi) will walk us through:

• What it is and what it is to know about it 
• How you and your data are impacted by it 
• How to ensure your company is ready and compliant

Dr. David Marco and your co-host will explore how 5G, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning have an impact Data Governance. Stay until the end as you'll hear some funny stories from data conferences. 

Learn more about data storytelling for data management from Scott Taylor - the Data Whisperer. 

Join us and Sharad, OvalEdge CEO, to learn how to build a business case for data governance that will wow business executives.

In her current role as Global Master Data Quality Manager, Andreea Judele focuses on defining pragmatic data quality strategies, establishing foundational pillars for data governance, and implementing thoughtful data literacy programs within Henkel's Adhesives division. Let's take a deep dive into this program so that we can learn how one could best introduce data literacy and MDM within their own organizations.

Learning from Andrew Drinkwater's story and how to find a data analytics career with meaning. Should you consider a data analytics career in higher education?

Join us and Dr. Mark van Rijmenam to learn how an organization can become a data organization.

We'll uncover the world of sports analytics with the Ken Jee, the Head of Data Science at Scouts Consulting Group. We'll learn about how to get into this space, what data sets to start working with, but also takeaways from Ken's vast experiencing of analyzing data in the world of sports.

Alexander Fleiss, the CEO of Rebellion Research will help us uncover some great examples of practical applications of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

Why do we enjoy stories? What forms the basis of a story? Why and how should we pick up storytelling skills?
We are joined by a Leadership Story Coach, Denise Withers that we will discuss about mastering storytelling.

Let's learn from Chief Data Scientist, T. Scott Clendaniel how to create and implement a successful data analytics strategy. Yay!

If you can believe it, today we are joined by Santa Claus. If you have a wish list, please make sure you join in to share in on the show as Santa will be participating. :)   

We'll address the topic of big data, importance of data quality, and so much more. As you can imagine, for proper gifts management, flight trips, and happy clients, data is very important to Santa Claus.

Merry Christmas and may you have the cleanest of data!

The Data Governance market is growing. Mario Cantin, CEO of Prodago, explains in layman's terms what is Data Governance what are some of those best tips that non-IT people should be aware of and apply.

He's also addressing how Data Governance is much more than decisions about Data Quality. We explore how far we can take it to cover things like Data Privacy, Data Risks and, the new emerging need, AI Governance.

Learn from Steve Nouri how to stand out from the crowd as a data scientist.

Steve Nouri is an AI expert, part of the Forbes Tech Council, and has more than 370k followers on LinkedIn in the data space.

Let's find out how to design data & A.I. governance that delivers value, from our guest Mario Cantin: CEO & Chief Data Strategist of Prodago.

Join us for a conversation with Kirsten Lum, Chief Product Officer at Storytellers.ai, as we explore her remarkable career journey and insights:

• Key takeaways from her roles at tech giants like Amazon and Expedia, applicable across diverse industries.
• Challenges and successes in bootstrapping Storytellers.ai to almost $5 million in revenue.
• Fascinating use cases where AI and ML have made unexpected impacts on businesses.
• Advice for aspiring data scientists and analytics professionals.
• Strategies for fostering innovation and driving teams in the tech landscape.
• Exciting trends in analytics, AI, and data management.
• Kirsten's one piece of advice for those aiming to make a significant impact.

Tune in and gain valuable insights into data science, AI, and entrepreneurship with Kirsten Lum.

A Chief Data Scientist's advice on AI: a live session with T. Scott Clendaniel, top voice in data science & AI.

Kate Strachnyi, founder of DATAcated and 2 x LinkedIn Top Voice, shares with us tips and tricks and what it takes to build a personal brand as a data professional.

Tom Redman, the Data Doc, shares with us the staggering cost of data quality, why and how it's affecting us a individuals, employees, and citizens, and shares with us his "Friday Afternoon Measurement".