The AI-Ready Data Team with Erik Duffield

The AI-Ready Data Team with Erik Duffield

From The Data T by Armon Petrossian and Satish Jayanthi

October 14, 2025 · 45 min · Season 3 · Episode 31

About this episode

The episode features Erik Duffield discussing the essentials of building an AI-ready data team and the evolving landscape of data governance.

This month on The Data T, we sit down with Erik Duffield, CEO and co-founder of Hakkoda, now an IBM Company, to unpack the latest hot topic in our industry: AI-ready data. Everyone’s talking about it, but what does it really take to build an AI-ready data team or data practice? AI-readiness isn’t about the latest tool, it’s about a mindset shift. Duffield shares why data programs must now be designed for machines as primary consumers, how data governance has evolved from a blocker to an enabler, and why the speed of iteration, not a single big launch, is the real measure of success. Duffield touches on agentic AI in production, the future of data careers, and what 2026 may hold for both the AI market and enterprise adoption. Co-hosted by Coalesce cofounders Armon Petrossian and Satish Jayanthi Key topics: What does an AI-ready data program look like? Gaps between hype and reality in AI initiatives What keeps data leaders up at night? Data security concerns Data team composition and reskilling for AI success Labor force shifts and career progression challenges How do you define and measure trusted, AI-ready data? Top data trends and predictions for 2006 Resources: About Hakkoda…

People in this episode

Hosts: Armon Petrossian, Satish Jayanthi

Guest: Erik Duffield

Topics covered

  • AI-ready data
  • data governance
  • data team composition
  • data security
  • AI market predictions
  • data trends

Keywords

  • AI readiness
  • data programs
  • data governance
  • data security
  • data careers
  • trusted data
  • data trends

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hakkoda, IBM, Coalesce

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