When Data Stops Being Code and Starts Being Conversation (Ep. 297)
From Data Science at Home by Francesco Gadaleta
December 22, 2025 · 34 min · Episode 299
About this episode
Mark Brocato discusses the evolution of data generation in the AI era and the implications of agent-driven synthesis.
Mark Brocato built Mockaroo—the tool that taught millions of developers how to fake data. Now, as Head of Engineering at Tonic.ai, he's building the AI agent that's making his own creation obsolete. In this episode, we explore why static test data can't survive the AI era, what it means to "negotiate" datasets with an agent instead of scripting them, and whether we're heading toward a future where sandbox environments vanish entirely. From the hidden failures of legacy mocks to the security implications of agent-driven synthesis, Mark reveals what happens when data generation becomes a conversation—not a pipeline. Sponsors Tonic.ai Synthetic data solutions for software and AI development. Accelerate engineering velocity and ensure compliance with AI-powered data synthesis This episode is brought to you by Statistical Horizons At Statistical Horizons, you can stay ahead with expert-led livestream seminars that make data analytics and AI methods practical and accessible.Join thousands of researchers and professionals who’ve advanced their careers with Statistical Horizons.Get $200 off any seminar with code DATA25 at https://statisticalhorizons.com
People in this episode
Host: Francesco Gadaleta
Guest: Mark Brocato
Topics covered
- data generation
- AI
- synthetic data
- engineering
- data privacy
- data negotiation
Keywords
- data generation
- AI agent
- synthetic data
- Mockaroo
- Tonic.ai
- data privacy
- engineering velocity
Sponsors
Statistical Horizons
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Mockaroo, Tonic.ai
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