At today’s Teradata’s “Possible 2023” event, the future of AI and data innovation took center stage.

As a part of theCUBE’s event coverage, our industry analysts took a look at the key insights and revelations coming out of the event, as well as offered a glimpse into the expectations, trends and challenges that are fueling the conversation about data and AI.

“A lot of what Teradata is aimed at is really bringing that knowledge that they have for making bulletproof systems for 30 years at this point,” said theCUBE analyst Rob Strechay (pictured, left). “There’s also a lot that they’re going to be talking about simplifying open source and open-source communication … that’s exciting because that bridges the gap with developers.”

Strechay spoke with fellow analyst Rebecca Knight (right), during our event preview, live at Possible 2023, as part of an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed their expectations for the event, focusing on the role of AI, data lakes, data warehouses and Teradata Corp.’s innovations. (* Disclosure below.)

Navigating the excitement and expectations

Teradata’s “Possible 2023” event, which takes place in Orlando, Florida, this week, marked the culmination of a global conference series, with previous editions held in London and Singapore. Customers, analysts and top-level executives all gathered to explore the evolving landscape of AI and data management. This diverse audience, as well as the potential of the event, created a lot of excitement, according to Strechay.

“Data’s the new oil … it is the fuel of all of these systems, all of AI, all of being able to do analytics, being able to build recommendations, engines for your e-commerce site, being able to better service your customers,” he said. “A lot of the innovation … I’m really excited to hear how they bring that all together.”

One key expectation was the transformation of Teradata from what people thought it was to what it has become today. Teradata’s commitment to innovation shined at the conference, with an emphasis on simplifying data teams and the roles of data scientists, according to Knight.

The company’s decades-long experience in creating robust systems is now being applied to data lakes and data warehouses, bridging the gap between commercial products and open-source solutions. This shift could significantly impact how data professionals collaborate and work together, the analysts discussed.

“AI is of course dominating our national conversations,” Knight said. “We’re going to hear a lot about the potential but also the peril. I think that while there is so much excitement … about the future that AI will have on their products and services on their workforces. There’s also a lot of concern and even fear about data privacy, data security [and] compliance.”

Addressing AI’s accessibility and ROI challenges

While marketing often inundates the tech world, the conference’s tagline, “Fuel the Future,” emphasized the role of data as the new fuel, powering AI, analytics and customer-centric services. The event’s discussions went beyond marketing buzzwords, delving into practical applications and innovations.

“Marketing is a huge part of this … but the tagline here is fueling the future,” Knight said. “Sometimes you’re just sort of like, it’s marketing, come on. But it actually does really feel like this is where we’re going; this is the fuel of what is going to take us forward.”

A critical topic of discussion at the event was how to make AI accessible, especially to developers. The aim is to simplify the AI landscape and empower data teams to execute effectively.

“Why are you building AI, because AI for AI’s sake is just dumb,” Strechay said. “I think that what you need to be focused on is do I need to upskill. I think that’s a perfect business case where you can upskill and build out your training that may take somebody’s learning curve from three months down to three weeks — or something like that — of coming into a new organization.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of Possible 2023:

(* Disclosure: This is an unsponsored editorial segment. However, theCUBE is a paid media partner for Possible 2023. Teradata Corp. and other sponsors of theCUBE’s event coverage do not have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE