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Driven by Data: The Podcast · Thursday · 40 min

Data Debrief: Networking, Intentionality & CVs that stand out

In this week's Data Debrief, Kyle Winterbottom and Catherine Dowden-King recap the Future of Data, AI & BI Summit with Starburst, share Catherine's top tips for networking at data events, and debrief this week's main episode with Simon Turner, Chief Technology Officer at Foil AI — including the Welsh Water case study that brought his "autonomic business" concept to life. They also discuss: Why the Future of Data, AI & BI Summit's core theme was the gap between giving people AI tools and reimagining how a business actually operates. What "codified business knowledge" — the context layer — means for scaling AI from local productivity hacks to full agentic systems. Catherine's top tips for networking at data events: doing your homework, messaging speakers in advance, and finding natural pauses for small talk. Why leading with curiosity, rather than negativity, makes conversations easier to build on. Why giving yourself permission to step away from an event is as important as showing up to it. How Simon Turner's Welsh Water case study used agentic AI to cut through false alarms during this summer's drought. Why the "autonomic business" concept compares agentic AI to a heartbeat that speeds up without conscious thought. Why having access to AI tools is no longer a competitive advantage, now that everyone has them. The debate between focusing on a handful of core business metrics versus giving people room to experiment and discover new use cases by accident. Why the best AI use cases sometimes emerge locally, before being scaled across a business. Why AI is making CVs look increasingly similar, and how outcomes-focused writing helps candidates stand out. Why intentionality — in networking and in career planning — matters more than ever in a fast-changing market. Why data and AI leaders should back the people already experimenting successfully with AI tools, not just the official roadmap. A preview of the "data dilemmas" segment returning for Driven by Data Live.

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show notes

In this week's Data Debrief, Kyle Winterbottom and Catherine Dowden-King recap the Future of Data, AI & BI Summit with Starburst, share Catherine's top tips for networking at data events, and debrief this week's main episode with Simon Turner, Chief Technology Officer at Foil AI — including the Welsh Water case study that brought his "autonomic business" concept to life.

They also discuss:

  • Why the Future of Data, AI & BI Summit's core theme was the gap between giving people AI tools and reimagining how a business actually operates.
  • What "codified business knowledge" — the context layer — means for scaling AI from local productivity hacks to full agentic systems.
  • Catherine's top tips for networking at data events: doing your homework, messaging speakers in advance, and finding natural pauses for small talk.
  • Why leading with curiosity, rather than negativity, makes conversations easier to build on.
  • Why giving yourself permission to step away from an event is as important as showing up to it.
  • How Simon Turner's Welsh Water case study used agentic AI to cut through false alarms during this summer's drought.
  • Why the "autonomic business" concept compares agentic AI to a heartbeat that speeds up without conscious thought.
  • Why having access to AI tools is no longer a competitive advantage, now that everyone has them.
  • The debate between focusing on a handful of core business metrics versus giving people room to experiment and discover new use cases by accident.
  • Why the best AI use cases sometimes emerge locally, before being scaled across a business.
  • Why AI is making CVs look increasingly similar, and how outcomes-focused writing helps candidates stand out.
  • Why intentionality — in networking and in career planning — matters more than ever in a fast-changing market.
  • Why data and AI leaders should back the people already experimenting successfully with AI tools, not just the official roadmap.
  • A preview of the "data dilemmas" segment returning for Driven by Data Live.

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