Systems | Development | Analytics | API | Testing

As part of our Women Leaders in Technology (WLIT) series on The AI Forecast, we’re joined by Avani Desai, CEO of Shellman, a leading cybersecurity firm. Each quarter, we’ll take a break from the regularly scheduled AI programming on The AI Forecast to direct our attention to this important topic in tech.

AI can’t transform businesses if organizations aren’t prepared to embrace it. Donna Beasley, Chief AI Enablement Officer, joins The AI Forecast to explore thoughtful AI deployment in an organization. She and host Paul Muller dive into the challenges and opportunities of AI adoption, from ensuring data quality to driving organizational change management. They discuss the importance of collaboration across departments, strategies for overcoming resistance, and the critical role of training and meeting individuals where they are in their openness with AI.

In this interview with Nick Johnson-Hill, VP Data Group for Crum and Foster, we dive into what it takes to lead a modern team of data professionals and leverage modern data strategies for creating maximum impact. Nick also discusses the role and effectiveness of leveraging Generative AI for augmenting data teams.

At the TM Forum DTW Ignite 2025 conference, telco experts from Cloudera and Zain explain that the industry's primary drivers are enhancing customer experience, reducing costs, and finding new revenue streams. To achieve this, telcos are leveraging modern data architectures and private AI to securely manage massive data volumes and power use cases like network optimization and hyper-personalization. Zain KSA showcases this in practice, viewing AI as a continuous journey to drive revenue and operational efficiency, successfully managing massive real-time events like the Hajj pilgrimage.

A city can’t be smart if its systems don’t serve its citizens. Ayesha Khanna, AI advisor, entrepreneur, and CEO of Addo, joins The AI Forecast to explore how AI is reshaping the cities we live in and the lives we lead within them. She and host Paul Muller dive into the intersection of AI and urban development, where infrastructure, governance, and personalization come together to elevate the quality of life. They discuss the real-world challenges of deploying innovative city technologies, the critical role of data management, and how AI can expand access to services like education and healthcare.

When AI needs to think faster, the architecture beneath it matters more than ever. Val Cook, Chief Software Architect at Blaize, joins The AI Forecast to unpack how today’s AI systems demand more than raw compute, but more adaptable infrastructure. He and host Paul Muller explore the critical intersection of hardware and software, the growing importance of data flow machines, and the limits of traditional architectures in real-time environments.

When trust collapses, everything else goes with it. Jim Brennan, Chief Product and Technical Officer at GetReal Security, joins The AI Forecast to break down one of the biggest challenges in today’s world: securing digital trust. He and host Paul Muller explore why trust is the backbone of modern business and how advancements like deepfakes, impersonation attacks, and AI-powered deception are shaking that foundation.

As AI systems grow more powerful, so does a more profound structural concern: ownership. A handful of players now control the data, infrastructure, and models shaping global AI and, with them, the rules of access, participation, and innovation.

Jim Liddle, Chief Innovation Officer of Data Intelligence and AI at Nasuni, joins The AI Forecast to spotlight a critical obstacle to enterprise AI: messy, ungoverned data. He and host Paul Muller trace the evolution of data management and unpack why so many organizations still struggle with the basics, starting with the challenge of taming unstructured information.

In the race of not being left behind in adopting new technology—like AI—enterprises often overlook the most straightforward, strategic question: what decision are we trying to make? Cassie Kozyrkov, first and former Chief Decision Scientist at Google and founder of Kozyr, joins The AI Forecast to reframe the conversation. Her take? It’s not about the genie granting the wish—in this case, AI; it’s about the wisher.