The Shift: Your open questions about agents, honest discussions

S2E8 | How do we draw agentic borders? — The Shift Podcast by Microsoft Azure

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 13:00:00 GMT

As AI agents become more capable—and more autonomous—one question rises fast: How do we draw agentic borders? For many organizations, this is also a sovereignty question: what stays in-country, who can access it, and how do you enforce policy across systems and regions?

In this episode of The Shift Podcast: Agentic Edition, leaders from Microsoft Azure explore the evolving boundaries between agents, humans, systems, and responsibility—and what it takes to keep trust and accountability as AI becomes more agentic.

The conversation covers:

What “agentic borders” mean in enterprise practice

How to approach responsibility and oversight in agent systems

How sovereignty requirements (data residency, jurisdiction, and access) shape agent design and deployment

Why governance matters as agents move into real use

What to consider when setting guardrails for agents

An honest discussion on moving forward responsibly—while still building with speed and ambition.

👉 Read Microsoft Sovereign Cloud in Europe: https://aka.ms/MSFTSovereignCloudWhitepaper

👉 Join the Tech Community: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/

Get to know the team:

Evelyn Ozzie https://www.linkedin.com/in/evelyn-ozzie-18062721/

Meena Gowdar https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjgowdar/

Edouard de Cremiers https://www.linkedin.com/in/edouarddecremiers/

Karim Batthish https://www.linkedin.com/in/karimondo/

The Shift Podcast: Agentic Edition is a place for experts to share their insights and opinions. As students of the future of technology, Microsoft values inputs from a diverse set of voices. That said, the opinions and findings of our guests are their own and they may not necessarily reflect Microsoft's positions as a company.

This episode of The Shift was recorded in February 2026. All information about products and offers is relevant to the time of recording.

#TheShiftPodcast #ResponsibleAI #AgenticAI #DigitalGovernance #MicrosoftAzure #DigitalSovereignty

S2E7 | Should my IT team hire agents? — The Shift Podcast by Microsoft Azure

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 14:00:00 GMT

As AI agents move from experimentation into real-world operations, many IT leaders are asking a new kind of workforce question: Should your IT team hire agents?

In this episode of The Shift Podcast: Agentic Edition, members of the Microsoft Azure team explore how agentic AI is beginning to reshape IT operations, cloud management, and the future of technical work. Agents are emerging as powerful collaborators alongside humans in the loop—augmenting teams, automating repetitive tasks, and enabling a more proactive approach to managing complex systems.

This conversation digs into what agent adoption really looks like for IT organizations today, including:

• How agents for IT automation are changing cloud operations.

• Where trust, transparency, and control matter most in agentic systems.

• What skills IT teams need as workflows shift from manual to autonomous.

• How Azure Copilot and intelligent operations are influencing day to day IT work.

You’ll also hear how organizations can thoughtfully introduce agents without creating black boxes—keeping humans in control while scaling operational efficiency.

If you’re an IT leader, practitioner, or decision maker thinking about the future of cloud operations, modernization, or automation, this episode offers a grounded look at how agents fit into real enterprise environments.

👉 Download the whitepaper: Intelligent IT Operations: https://aka.ms/IntelligentITOpsAzure

👉 Join the Tech Community: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/

#TheShiftPodcast #AgenticAI #ITAutomation #IntelligentOperations #AzureCopilot

S2E6 | Is Postgres the wave of the future? — The Shift Podcast by Microsoft Azure

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Postgres has long been a favorite of developers—but is it also the right foundation for the next generation of AI applications and agentic systems?

In this episode of The Shift Podcast: Agentic Edition, members of the Microsoft Azure Database team unpack a question we’re hearing more frequently as organizations build AI-driven applications: Is Postgres the wave of the future?

The conversation explores how PostgreSQL databases are evolving to support modern workloads, including AI agents, cloud-native applications, and open-source innovation at scale. Our guests discuss what’s changing in the data layer as applications move from traditional CRUD systems to agent‑driven, context aware architectures—and why database choice matters more than ever for performance, flexibility, and speed to value.

You’ll hear practical insights on:

· How Postgres fits into today’s AI-ready database strategies.

· What developers need from databases when supporting agents and generative AI.

· The role of open-source databases in enterprise-scale AI adoption.

· How Azure Database for PostgreSQL helps teams balance innovation with operational reliability.

As with every episode of The Shift, this is an unscripted, honest discussion designed to cut through buzzwords and focus on what actually matters for builders and technical decision makers navigating an agentic future.

👉 Explore the Azure Database advantage: https://aka.ms/AppsAgentsPostgresSQL

👉 Join the conversation on Tech Community: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/

Get to know the team:

· Eric Hudson, Director Product Marketing https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-hudson-aa0a943/

· Marko Hotti, Senior Product Marketing Manager https://www.linkedin.com/in/marko-hotti-7656574/

· Claire Giordano, Principal Group PM Manager https://www.linkedin.com/in/claireg/

· Abinav Rameesh, Principal PM Manager https://www.linkedin.com/in/abinavrameesh/

This episode of The Shift was recorded in February 2026. All information about products and offers is relevant to the time of recording.

S2E5 | What senses do agents need to act? — The Shift Podcast by Microsoft Azure

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 14:00:00 GMT

For AI agents to move from reasoning to action, they need more than text alone. But what “senses” actually matter?

In this episode of The Shift Podcast: Agentic Edition, members of the Microsoft Foundry team discuss how multimodal inputs—such as text, vision, and speech—shape how agents perceive and interact with the world. The conversation explores what’s practical today, rather than assuming fully autonomous systems.

The discussion covers:

· Why multimodal AI expands what agents can understand.

· How vision, voice, and text models are combined in applications.

· The role of tools and APIs in enabling agent action.

· Where modality adds value—and where it introduces complexity.

Rather than framing modalities as future capabilities, the episode focuses on how teams are already working with them in real applications.

This is an honest look at how agents sense, interpret, and respond—based on today’s tooling and constraints.

👉 Read the AI apps and agents e-book: https://aka.ms/AIAppsAgents

👉 Join the Tech Community: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/

Get to know the team:

· Ronak Chokshi, Director Product Marketing https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronakchokshi/

· Vinod Valloppillil, Partner Product Director https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinodvalloppillil/

· Linda Li, Product Manager II https://www.linkedin.com/in/zhuoqun-linda-li/

The Shift Podcast: Agentic Edition is a place for experts to share their insights and opinions. As students of the future of technology, Microsoft values inputs from a diverse set of voices. That said, the opinions and findings of our guests are their own and they may not necessarily reflect Microsoft's positions as a company. This episode of The Shift Podcast: Agentic Edition was recorded in February 2026. All information about products and offers is relevant to the time of recording. #MultimodalAI #GenerativeAI #GenerativeAgents

#TheShiftPodcast #MultimodalAI #AIAgents #AgenticSystems #MicrosoftFoundry

S2E4 | Is context engineering the new RAG? — The Shift Podcast by Microsoft Azure

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:08:05 GMT

As retrieval augmented generation (RAG) matures, teams are asking a new question: Is context engineering becoming more important than RAG itself?

In this episode of The Shift Podcast: Agentic Edition, members of the Microsoft Foundry team explore how context management, retrieval pipelines, and knowledge integration influence the quality of AI responses. The discussion doesn’t dismiss RAG—but examines how it’s evolving in more complex, enterprise scenarios.

Topics include:

· How context windows and retrieval strategies affect model behavior.

· The role of vector databases, knowledge bases, and hybrid search.

· Where reranking and filtering matter in practical systems.

· Why context engineering is often iterative and application‑specific.

Rather than promoting a replacement for RAG, the episode focuses on how teams are adapting retrieval approaches as applications and agents become more sophisticated.

This is a grounded look at how context is handled today—without overstating what current systems can do.

👉 Read the AI apps and agents e-book: https://aka.ms/AIAppsandAgents

👉 Join the Tech Community: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/

Get to know the team:

· Allison Sparrow, Director Product Marketing https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsparrow/

· Pamela Fox, Principal Cloud Advocate https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-s-fox/

· Matt Gotteiner, Senior Program Manager https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattgotteiner/

The Shift Podcast: Agentic Edition is a place for experts to share their insights and opinions. As students of the future of technology, Microsoft values inputs from a diverse set of voices. That said, the opinions and findings of our guests are their own and they may not necessarily reflect Microsoft's positions as a company.

This episode of The Shift was recorded in February 2026. All information about products and offers is relevant to the time of recording.

#TheShiftPodcast #ContextEngineering #RAG #EnterpriseAI #KnowledgeRetrieval

S2E3 | Wait, my agent needs a database? — The Shift Podcast by Microsoft Azure

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 12:17:37 GMT

As teams build AI agents, many discover a surprising requirement along the way: Yes—your agent still needs a database.

In this episode of The Shift Podcast: Agentic Edition, members of the Microsoft Azure Database team discuss why databases remain a core part of agentic application architectures. The conversation explores how AI apps and agents place different demands on databases compared to traditional applications.

The discussion covers:

· Why agents often rely on existing enterprise databases.

· How relational and open‑source databases fit into AI workflows.

· What changes when databases support search, context, and retrieval.

· How Azure databases are evolving to support AI‑driven applications.

Rather than positioning databases as something new, the episode reflects on what’s changing—and what isn’t—when agents are added to the mix.

This conversation helps ground expectations around AI agents by connecting them back to familiar infrastructure decisions teams are already making.

Meet the Team:

· Nikisha Reyes-Grange, Senior Director Product Marketing https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikisha/

· James Codella, Principal Product Manager https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamescodella/

· Jared Meade, Senior Program Manager https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-meade/

· Debbi Lyons, Director Product Marketing https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbilyons/

The Shift Podcast: Agentic Edition is a place for experts to share their insights and opinions. As students of the future of technology, Microsoft values inputs from a diverse set of voices. That said, the opinions and findings of our guests are their own and they may not necessarily reflect Microsoft's own research or positions.

This episode of The Shift was recorded in January 2026. All information about products and offers is relevant to the time of recording.

👉 Read the database ecosystem e-book: https://aka.ms/databaseecosystem

👉 Join the Tech Community: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/

#TheShiftPodcast #DatabasesForAI #AzureDatabases #AgenticAI #EnterpriseApps

S2E2 | How do agents work together? — The Shift Podcast by Microsoft Azure

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Single agents can be useful—but many real-world applications rely on multiple agents working together. So how does that actually work?

In this episode of The Shift Podcast: Agentic Edition, members of the Microsoft Foundry team explore how multi‑agent systems are designed, coordinated, and evaluated. The discussion breaks down what “working together” means in practice—without assuming agents behave deterministically or perfectly.

Topics discussed include:

· What agent orchestration looks like in modern AI systems.

· How tool calling and function calling enable agents to collaborate.

· Why evaluation and iteration matter in multi‑agent workflows.

· The role of platforms and frameworks in coordinating agent behavior.

Rather than presenting a finished blueprint, the conversation reflects where the technology is today—highlighting tradeoffs, experimentation, and the realities of building with agents that interact dynamically.

This episode is grounded in how teams are actually building and learning from agentic systems, not how they might look in theory.

👉 Read the AI apps and agents e-book: https://aka.ms/AIAppsandAgents

👉 Join the Tech Community: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/

Get to know the team:

· Takuto Higuchi, Product Strategy https://www.linkedin.com/in/takuto-higuchi-626681135

· Shawn Henry, Principal Group Product Manager https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-patrick-henry/

· Amanda Foster, Product Manager, Microsoft Foundry Agent Service https://www.linkedin.com/in/foster-amanda/

· Victor Dibia, Principal RDSE at Microsoft Core AI https://www.linkedin.com/in/dibiavictor/

This episode of The Shift was recorded in January 2026. All information about products and offers is relevant to the time of recording.

#TheShiftPodcast #MultiAgentSystems #AgentOrchestration #AIFrameworks #MicrosoftFoundry

S2E1 | Are my agents hunting for data? — The Shift Podcast by Microsoft Azure

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 16:44:30 GMT

As AI agents take on more responsibility, one foundational question keeps surfacing: Are my agents hunting for data?

In this episode of The Shift Podcast: Agentic Edition, members of the Microsoft Fabric team explore how data access, organization, and governance directly affect how agents function in real-world systems. Rather than focusing on algorithms alone, the discussion centers on the data layer—and why fragmented, hard‑to‑find data can limit what agents are able to do.

The conversation covers:

· Why agents depend on unified, governed enterprise data.

· How concepts like data lakes, data warehousing, and data meshes show up in agentic systems.

· The importance of treating data as context, not just storage.

· How Microsoft Fabric and OneLake aim to simplify access across analytics and AI workloads

Throughout the episode, the team reflects on what makes data usable for agents today, without assuming that every organization starts from a clean slate.

This is an honest, unscripted discussion focused on how data realities shape agent behavior—and what teams can realistically do to improve outcomes.

👉 Explore unifying data with Microsoft Fabric: https://aka.ms/UnifyDataMicrosoftFabric

👉 Join our community: https://msft.it/6059QiQoJ

Get to know the team:

· Ronald Chang, Director Product Marketing https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronald-chang-15812828/

· Dipti Borkar, VP & GM Microsoft OneLake & Fabric ISVs https://www.linkedin.com/in/diptiborkar/

· Cillian Mitchell, Sr. Product Marketing Manager https://www.linkedin.com/in/cillian-mitchell/

· Josh Caplan, Partner Director of Product for Microsoft OneLake https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-caplan-data/

This episode of The Shift was recorded in January 2026. All information about products and offers is relevant to the time of recording.

#TheShiftPodcast #AgenticAI #EnterpriseData #MicrosoftFabric #DataForAI

The Shift: Your open questions about agents, honest discussions

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 16:29:51 GMT

For everyone looking to stay ahead of agentic change, this season of The Shift explores our rapidly evolving world from a full stack perspective, connecting technical professionals to the teams and tools that are here to help.

Each week we create space for top questions from the community, bringing you unscripted conversations about critical cloud, data and AI concepts, so we can all level up together.

Unpacking data governance and stewardship in the age of AI | GovLab

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 12:01:47 GMT

AI technologies are some of the most sophisticated and powerful we’ve seen in our lifetimes. With data at the center, this transformative shift brings both the potential to solve complex problems and new challenges around managing sensitive information. Join us for a deep dive into innovative strategies that will reshape how you think about data governance in the age of AI. Stefaan Verhulst, PhD, Co-Founder, Chief Research and Development Officer, and Director of Data Program at GovLab, shares his expertise around the intricacies of data governance and the evolution of data stewardship. Susan and Stefaan discuss the importance of data commons, the concept of social license, examine the opportunities and risks of synthetic data, and explore the fourth wave of open data, where generative AI democratizes access to data.

⁠Watch this episode on YouTube >⁠⁠

Guest: ⁠⁠Stefaan Verhulst, PhD⁠⁠ | Co-Founder, Chief R&D Officer, Director of Data Program - GovLab

Get more ⁠⁠innovation insights⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠Microsoft Azure⁠⁠.

Discover and follow other ⁠⁠Microsoft podcasts⁠⁠.

Host: ⁠⁠Susan Etlinger⁠⁠

The Leading the Shift podcast is a place for experts to share their insights and opinions. As students of the future of technology, Microsoft values inputs from a diverse set of voices. That said, the opinions and findings of our guests are their own and they may not necessarily reflect Microsoft's own research or positions.

Human agency is the force-multiplier for AI | Scott Hanselman, Microsoft

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 12:01:26 GMT

Scott Hanselman, VP of Developer Community at Microsoft, joins the pod to offer his unique perspective on the evolution of technology, share what he heard from developers at Microsoft Build 2025, and discuss the critical role of human agency in a world of AI agents. Scott and Susan explore some of the challenges and opportunities presented by AI-powered automation, emphasizing the importance of AI guided by human decision-making, creativity, and ethical judgement. They contemplate what happens when something breaks and reflect on why context and understanding the deep stack are key to being able to fix it. Watch this episode on YouTube for the full experience as Scott brings in artifacts for some “show and tell” moments.

Watch this episode on YouTube >⁠

Guest: ⁠Scott Hanselman⁠ | VP of Developer Community, Microsoft

Related: ⁠Scott and Mark Learn To... Podcast⁠ | ⁠Hanselman.com

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Host: ⁠Susan Etlinger⁠

Software development is an act of empathy | Kilimo

Tue, 27 May 2025 12:01:11 GMT

Water is fundamental to our existence, but only a tiny fraction of fresh water on Earth is available to sustain life. How can we become better stewards of this precious resource? In this episode, Susan speaks with Jairo Trad, CEO & Co-Founder of Kilimo, a climate tech company based in Argentina, about how he and his team are using data, AI, and cloud technology to help farmers optimize water use to promote a sustainable future. They discuss what it looks like to earn the trust of and design for farmers working in harsh conditions and remote locations, the role of empathy in product and software development, and how a combination of data, AI and what Jairo calls “common people magic” is helping Kilimo and customers move the needle on one of the world’s most significant challenges.

⁠Watch this episode on YouTube >⁠⁠

Guest: ⁠Jairo Trad⁠ | ⁠⁠Kilimo⁠

Get more ⁠⁠innovation insights⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠Microsoft Azure⁠⁠.

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Host: ⁠⁠Susan Etlinger⁠⁠

Can AI make the world of art more accessible? | Art Basel

Tue, 13 May 2025 12:00:41 GMT

From cave painters to digital creators, artists continually discover new ways to express themselves and connect. That connection is so important, because some people find art intimidating. And, let’s face it, a lot of people feel the same way about AI. In this episode, Alain Brusch, Global Head of Digital Platforms at Art Basel, shares how this premier international art fair is using cloud and AI technologies to create personalized and user-friendly experiences—like a companion that acts as a personal art concierge guiding people through the fair, and a computer vision feature that delivers detailed information about specific artworks, artists, and galleries in real time. Susan and Alain discuss how technology is making the art fair more accessible and fostering deeper connections between visitors and art, and Alain offers advice for getting started that applies to any industry.

Watch this episode on YouTube >⁠

Guest: Alain Brusch | ⁠Art Basel

Get more ⁠innovation insights⁠ from ⁠Microsoft Azure⁠.

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Host: ⁠Susan Etlinger⁠

AI is a board-level discussion | Lopez Research

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 12:00:31 GMT

Maribel Lopez, Founder of Lopez Research, is one of the people you most want in your corner as a technology leader. She’s a trusted advisor to senior executives from startups to the largest global businesses, and has deep expertise in AI, cybersecurity, and customer experience transformation. But beyond her bonafides, Maribel is clear-eyed and practical about technology change, what leaders need to do to be successful, and why. In this episode, Susan and Maribel discuss why she believes the AI platform shift is different, why the data challenge is more meaningful in an AI world, her advice on building a strong technology foundation, and the unprecedented ability we now have to explore the art of the possible.

Watch this episode on YouTube >⁠

Guest: ⁠Maribel Lopez⁠ | ⁠Lopez Research⁠

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Host: ⁠Susan Etlinger⁠

The transformative power of neurodiversity and AI | EY, Neurodiversity Center of Excellence

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 12:01:23 GMT

Great minds think alike—or do they? In this episode, Susan speaks with Hiren Shukla, Global Neurodiversity and Inclusive Value Leader, Ernst & Young LLP, about how neurodiversity—the idea that there is no single “right” way for the brain to function—is a source of compressed innovation, especially as generative AI expands the ways we interact with technology. Hiren discusses the mission of the Neurodiversity Center of Excellence (NCoE) and how his work has intersected with his personal journey. He shares examples of recent projects, from designing more inclusive interview experiences to collaborating with neurodivergent developers on the user experience for Azure AI Foundry. Finally, Hiren shares advice for leaders: to learn about and embrace the innovation potential of neurodiversity: what he calls “the beautiful capacity of thinking differently.”

Guest: Hiren Shukla | Ernst & Young LLP, Neurodiversity Center of Excellence (NCoE)

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Host: Susan Etlinger

AI and analytics on and off the basketball court | NBA

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 12:01:37 GMT

Basketball is life. And like life, it’s fast, fluid, and hard to measure. It’s about movement, split-second decisions, team dynamics, fan engagement and running a great business. In this episode, Susan talks with Charlie Rohlf about how his early days as a student manager for the legendary “Coach K” and his background in computer vision prepared him for his current role as Vice President, Stats Technology Product Development of the National Basketball Association. Charlie traces the evolution of basketball analytics from a single metric—the box score—to today’s ability to capture player pose tracking data, which enables the NBA to offer unprecedented insights to its customers, teams, and fans. Finally, Charlie shares his advice for leaders: make sure everyone understands the “why” behind everything you do.

Guest: Charlie Rohlf | NBA

Learn more about the NBA app.

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The future of generative AI for scientific discovery | Microsoft Research

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 13:00:22 GMT

Most of us think of generative AI in the context of text or image generation, but it’s also a powerful tool for scientific discovery. In this episode, Susan Etlinger speaks with Ade Famoti, a senior leader on the Microsoft Research Accelerator team, about what he calls “AI’s physics moment,” and why he believes generative AI feels fundamentally different from past platform shifts. Ade shares examples of the work Microsoft Research is doing to uncover the opportunities of generative AI for materials discovery—to improve energy efficiency and carbon capture, and for drug discovery, to fight disease. Ade also highlights the role of culture in building trust, informing priorities and driving adoption of emerging technologies.

Guest: ⁠Ade Famoti⁠ | ⁠Microsoft Research⁠

Learn more about ⁠AI and Materials Discovery⁠.

Learn more about ⁠AI for Science⁠.

Learn more about ⁠inorganic materials design⁠.

Host: ⁠⁠Susan Etlinger⁠⁠

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Innovating with generative AI in financial services | Moody's

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 13:00:22 GMT

Would it surprise you that some of the most impressive generative AI innovations are happening in older, larger, highly regulated industries such as financial services? Cristina Pieretti, GM of digital insights at Moody's, shares how her team-built Research Assistant, a first-of-its-kind search and analytical tool powered by generative AI. Since its launch in December 2023, Research Assistant is the product with the fastest adoption to date in Moody's history. Cristina shares how Moody’s considered the opportunities of generative AI, how they engaged deeply with customers during the development process, and how they centered trust from the start—all best practices for building innovative and trustworthy products.

Guest: Cristina Pieretti | Moody's

Learn more about Research Assistant: How GenAI is rewiring financial services

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Host: Susan Etlinger

Remixing the Coldplay fan experience with AI | Pixel Lab

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 13:01:20 GMT

“In many ways, the future of AI is how it’s going to empower people to be even more creative and even more expressive,” says Robby Ingebretsen, Founder and Creative Director of Pixel Lab. In this episode, Susan and Robby discuss the evolution of technology in the music industry—from Robby’s father’s early work in digital sound to the invention of the synthesizer—and how it parallels the AI platform shift. Robby shares a recent project they worked on with Coldplay, where they created an AI-powered fan remix experience that builds on the release of Coldplay’s new album, "MOON MUSiC," and its film compendium, "A Film For The Future." They discuss the process Pixel Lab used to map video content to user inputs, techniques to minimize energy consumption, and what Robby has learned by using generative AI to further his practice as a developer. This episode offers insights for any industry seeking to deepen engagement with its audiences.

Guest: ⁠Robby Ingebretsen⁠ | ⁠Pixel Lab⁠

Blog: ⁠Coldplay evolves the fan experience with Microsoft AI⁠

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Host: ⁠Susan Etlinger⁠

Data doesn’t just fuel generative AI—it goes both ways | dentsu

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 13:01:20 GMT

“Generative AI has done a ton for us. But where I'm also really interested is how it can help us bring together new sources of data that weren't able to be brought together before,” says Shirli Zelcer, Chief Data and Technology Officer at dentsu. Shirli shares her career journey from statistician to C-suite executive, and how it parallels the evolution of data and analytics from back-office practice to C-suite priority. She shares insights not only on the value of data for generative AI, but how generative AI is transforming the data space by helping organizations map the customer journey and better understand their needs in a trustworthy and innovative way. Finally, Shirli reminds us, “we're still so early on in this conversation—and this whole platform shift—that we haven't really even seen a lot of the impact that we're going to see in the future.”

Guest: Shirli Zelcer | dentsu

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Host: Susan Etlinger

Your proprietary data is your competitive advantage | Accenture

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 13:01:20 GMT

“I like to think about proprietary data as an organization’s collective intelligence,” says Teresa Tung, Global Lead of Data Capability at Accenture. Teresa is a prolific inventor, holding over 225 patents and applications, and she leads the vision and strategy that ensures that Accenture is prepared for ever-changing data advancements. In this episode, Susan and Teresa discuss the changing nature of data and its value to an AI strategy. Teresa shares six insights to help organizations derive value from their proprietary data, including: the importance of unstructured data, the potential of synthetic data; why context is key for AI; data governance and security; and how generative AI can jumpstart data readiness. It’s a master class in data strategy, and a must-listen for anyone who is curious about how to get the most from their data, AI and cloud investments.

Guest: Teresa Tung | Accenture

Blog: 6 insights to make your data AI-ready, with Accenture's Teresa Tung

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Creating the new field of data for social impact | data.org

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 13:01:20 GMT

You’ve heard of data-driven products, data-driven services and data-driven business models, but data.org is pioneering an entirely new field: data for social impact. In the premiere episode of Leading the Shift, guest Perry Hewitt, Chief Marketing and Product Officer at data.org, shares how the organization is taking data and AI and applying it to the world’s most challenging problems. Perry shares the results of the Generative AI Skills Challenge, including initiatives focused on dispelling misconceptions about women’s health in India, upskilling women entrepreneurs in northern Nigeria and creating intensive AI curricula for teachers, students and businesses in rural Mississippi. It’s a rigorous and innovative approach built around trust, respect and co-creation—as applicable to business as it is to the public sector.

Guest: Perry Hewitt | data.org

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Host: Susan Etlinger

Trailer: Leading the Shift

Thu, 23 Jan 2025 00:09:02 GMT

The AI platform shift brings immense opportunity, but the road to success isn’t always clear. On "Leading the Shift," a new podcast from Microsoft Azure, we'll talk to people doing just that—leading the platform shift in organizations of all kinds to learn with them along the way. Guests share personal experiences and pragmatic advice for navigating first-of-their-kind challenges and delivering meaningful, trustworthy innovation to their teams, customers, and communities. Whether you’re a decision-maker, a developer, or just curious about this new era of tech, join us to hear how real people tackle real innovation, in real life. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts starting January 28, 2025.