Advice on Agentic AI: A Top Snowflake Exec Explains

Most enterprises aren't ready for agentic AI, but Christian Kleinerman, Snowflake's EVP of Product, shares practical advice on what it takes to succeed: data readiness, governance, AI economics, and workforce strategy.

In this episode of CXOTalk, Kleinerman draws on 25 years of enterprise technology experience to give leaders a realistic roadmap for AI adoption. He explains how to evaluate AI vendors in hours instead of months, which use cases deliver measurable ROI today, and how to build the data foundation that makes AI agents effective.

???? KEY TOPICS DISCUSSED:

-- How to assess AI agent capabilities through rapid iteration and low-cost experimentation
-- The data prerequisites that determine whether AI initiatives succeed
-- Which use cases deliver orders-of-magnitude productivity gains right now
-- How coding assistants create value for non-technical roles like product managers and sales engineers
-- Why the economics of technology evaluation have fundamentally shifted in your favor
-- A practical framework for measuring ROI when outputs are non-deterministic
-- How to structure small rollouts that scale based on proven success

???? Show notes: https://www.cxotalk.com/episode/snowflakes-evp-of-product-talks-hard-truths-on-agentic-ai-readiness-governance-and-ai-economics
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???? CHAPTERS:

00:00 ☁️ Introduction to AI Data Cloud and Snowflake's Role
01:15 ???? Capabilities and Use Cases of Enterprise-Grade AI Agents
03:04 ???? Emeritus and Enterprise AI Absorption Challenges
03:55 ???? Exploring AI Models and Their Potential
04:55 ⚙️ Challenges and Prerequisites for AI Adoption
09:43 ???? Practical Use Cases and Evaluating AI Solutions
18:39 ???? The Evolution of AI in Enterprise Technology
21:42 ???? Agents and Interoperability in AI
25:06 ???? Data Challenges and the Role of AI
31:39 ⚙️ Challenges in Scaling AI from Proof of Concept to Production
33:48 ???? Governance and ROI in AI Implementation
38:37 ???? AI's Impact on Jobs and Recommendations for Leaders

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