What if most of your AI insights are pointing you in the wrong direction?

In this episode of Data Wars, we sit down with Mark Stouse, CEO of Proof Causal AI, to unpack why traditional predictive and correlational AI falls short in today’s volatile business environment — and why causal AI is emerging as the real decision-making engine for executives.

Mark brings a rare perspective, having served as CEO, CFO, CRO, and CMO, and explains how causal inference helps leaders answer the questions that actually matter:

1. What actions truly drive outcomes?

2. Where is risk hiding in plain sight?

3. Why are 50%+ of go-to-market investments ineffective?

We dive into:

1. The difference between predictive AI vs causal AI

2. Why CFOs and CMOs often talk past each other on “forecasting”

3. How causal AI acts like a Business GPS, constantly recalibrating decisions

4. The role of FASB & MASB compliance in AI-driven financial accountability

5. Building trust in data using explainable models and synthetic data

6. Why humility, timing, and risk-adjusted thinking define great leadership

If you’re a business leader, data professional, AI practitioner, or investor, this conversation will fundamentally change how you think about AI, forecasting, and decision-making.

📘 Bonus: Mark also shares insights from his upcoming book “Business GPS”, exploring how causal AI is shaping the future of enterprise strategy.

🎧 Watch/Listen Now:

▶️ YouTube: https://youtu.be/hCeDke-8xVY

🎵 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/67fjZiSQYpvZbZBhm2Rjwu?si=OcIYNblwSZ6IZq9_IXbrXA

🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/causal-ai-explained-why-correlation-fails-risk-wins/id1782784746?i=1000741540417

In this episode of Data Wars Podcast, hosts Ash Srivastava and Prash Chandramohan sit down with a very special guest — Dan Everett, a widely respected data leader, marketer, and author of The Techno-Optimist. With 25+ years in data & analytics and a unique journey shaped by neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and personal life experiences, Dan brings a perspective you won’t hear anywhere else.

🎯 What we cover:

Why organizations STILL fail to show measurable ROI on data & AI investments

How cognitive biases (anchoring, status quo, confirmation bias) silently derail transformations

Why data teams must shift from tech-first to business-outcome–first

The power of technical storytelling in selling ideas to executives

Why AI is NOT a magic wand — and what it actually takes to build value

Rethinking agents, orchestration, and the future of AI-driven decision systems

The real dangers of overautomation and losing domain expertise

What “technology for good” really means in a world fueled by GenAI

🔥 Top takeaways:

Stop measuring activity. Start measuring value.Challenge your legacy mental models.

Treat AI as a decision system, not the destination.

If you care about data leadership, AI adoption, organizational transformation, or simply want to understand why companies struggle despite billions invested — this episode is a must-watch.

🎧 Watch/Listen Now:

▶️ YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ze8DgnO3bOQ

🎵 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2puYcZswdNMpXmLuTK2KLc?si=ItP7tMyETh-ffFemOBgbLg

🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-ai-roi-fails-how-cognitive-biases-sabotage-data/id1782784746?i=1000739299615

If you’re in data leadership, governance, AI, or transformation — this episode will change how you think.

#DataWarsPodcast #AI #DataStrategy #CognitiveBias #AnalyticsLeadership #DataGovernance #AIAdoption #TechnoOptimist #RedPicoConsulting

In this episode of Data Wars, hosts Prash Chandramohan and Ash Srivastava sit down with Rudy Ionides— a Senior Data Leader at Walmart with a remarkable journey from Software Engineering to Enterprise Data Strategy.

Rudy breaks down 20+ years of deep experience across RBC, TD, healthcare, and retail — sharing practical, real-world insights that every data leader, engineer, and strategist needs to hear.

⭐ What you’ll learn in this episode:How Rudy navigated a career from Developer → Dev Manager → Senior Data Leader

Why cloud migration fails without culture, governance & literacy

The real mindset shift required to move from on-prem to cloud

How to build high-performance data teams using autonomy & recognitionWhy governance is NOT boring — and how to make it a business growth engine

What regulated industries taught Rudy about data quality, lineage & controls

The role of analytics CoEs, MVP thinking & operationalizing data products

How to influence executives and build org-wide data culture

His honest take on careers, networking, and breaking into new industries

🔥 Key themes

Data governance, AI readiness, data literacy, cloud transformation, leadership, enterprise analytics, customer 360, financial services, privacy, efficiency, and high-impact delivery.

🎧 Listen On: YouTube → https://youtu.be/pks09SubT3U

Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/episode/54uOrSS62LwS9uC74koZi2?si=cTBnAYSUQnCKB4QSte2OIQ

Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/data-leadership-that-works-rudy-ionides-on-governance/id1782784746?i=1000737147699

👉 Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe.

New episodes every week!👉 Follow Data Wars Podcast for conversations with top data & AI leaders from the world’s biggest organizations.

In this episode of Data Wars, hosts Ash Srivastava and Prash Chandramohan sit down with Jeremy de Freitas, Account Executive at Infoverity and long-time Product Information Management (PIM) expert — to explore how AI is reshaping product data, creativity, and customer experience.From automating product descriptions to generating contextual marketing copy, Jeremy shares how AI is transforming industries like retail and grocery while raising deep questions about trust, empathy, and the “human element” in an increasingly automated world.🎶 Jeremy also opens up about his love for music, creative inspiration, and how AI is changing the future of music composition and storytelling.👉

Topics Covered:

1. The evolution of PIM and its role in the AI era

2. How AI can automate yet preserve creativity and empathy

3. The “human connection” in customer experience

4. AI regulation, trust, and the emerging secondary markets

5. Balancing innovation and human authenticity in business

6. Real-world AI use cases in grocery and retail

📍 Guest: Jeremy DeFritas – Account Executive, Infoverity

🎙️ Hosts: Ash Srivastava & Prash Chandramohan

🎧 Available on:

🔹 YouTube: https://youtu.be/VK787IpKhYg

🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4mtT33nRQNrXPFZvLF4MUs?si=Z9EcEAF_S3-MdEHpYpbHvw

In this episode of Data Wars, hosts Prashandra Moan and Ash Srivastava sit down with Dharma Kuttenoor, a seasoned data and AI strategist with over two decades of leadership in data management, analytics, and product marketing — including his time as VP at Informatica and Cisco.Together, they unpack:The evolving role of the data layer in the age of Generative and Agentic AIWhy trusted, contextual, and governed data is the new competitive advantageHow semantic layers, knowledge graphs, and vector databases are transforming the enterprise data landscapeThe future of data governance, orchestration, and AI-driven workflowsWhat new skills and mindsets data professionals need to stay relevant in the AI era👉 Listen now to learn how enterprises can bridge the gap between data management and AI innovation — and why the trusted data foundation is more critical than ever.🎧 Available on:🔹 YouTube: https://youtu.be/vqv4r9XEEsE#DataWars #GenerativeAI #DataGovernance #DataManagement #AgenticAI #SemanticLayer #Podcast #AITrends2025

In this episode of Data Wars, hosts Ash Srivastava and Prash Chandra Mohan sit down with Jagan Srinivasan, an industry veteran with 25+ years of experience across pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and finance — to decode how Agentic AI, data governance, and automation are reshaping modern enterprises.Jagan shares his real-world story of transforming a 500-ticket JIRA backlog into an AI-driven workflow using ChatGPT, Python, and prompt engineering — long before Agentic AI became a buzzword.We dive deep into:🚀 How to automate business processes using ChatGPT & OpenAI APIs🧠 The evolution from traditional data systems to vector and multimodal data models🏗️ Why data quality and governance are still the foundation for successful AI👨‍💻 The CIO’s biggest challenge: Moving from AI proof-of-concept to production🎓 How students and professionals can future-proof their careers in the AI era⚙️ Tools and technologies Jagan uses (ChatGPT, LangChain, Hugging Face, Python, C++)This conversation is packed with insights on AI transformation, data modernization, and real-world agentic architectures — a must-watch for data leaders, CIOs, engineers, and AI enthusiasts.🔔 Follow us on LinkedIn for updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/datawarspodcast/

In this episode, hosts Ash Srivastava and Prash Chandramohan sit down with Tejasvi Adigada — an enterprise architect, data strategist, and privacy officer with 17+ years of experience driving data transformation across the US, UK, India, Australia, and Vietnam.🎙️ Tejasvi shares his incredible journey from technology engineering to becoming a leading voice in data governance, AI governance, and cloud modernization. Together, we explore the evolution of global data strategies, challenges across different geographies, and the future of responsible AI adoption.🛡️ Learn how quality data fuels better AI, how privacy frameworks are evolving globally, and what it takes to build a modern, scalable data strategy in today’s fast-changing world.Listen to our podcast on:🎧Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2hbwZqdw9yghczLMUDaLBB?si=6867d3b425b1434f🎧Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/data-wars-podcast/id1782784746📌 Don’t forget to like, comment, and share this video. Subscribe for more engaging conversations about data, AI, and business transformation.🔔 Follow us on LinkedIn for updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/datawarspodcast/

In this episode, Ash Srivastava and Prash Chandramohan sit down with David Corrigan, a data management and analytics veteran with over 25 years of experience across startups, high-growth companies, and multinational enterprises.📢 What’s Inside This Episode?💡 How AI, data, and analytics work together to drive business outcomes💡 Why AI hallucination is a data and governance problem💡 The evolution of Master Data Management (MDM) and why monolithic systems must be broken into modular services💡 2025 trends in data modernization, cloud migration, and AI-driven insights💡 How organizations can integrate operational and analytical data for better decision-makingDavid brings a wealth of knowledge on data governance, privacy, and analytics, sharing actionable insights that help organizations stay ahead in a rapidly evolving tech landscape.Connect with David Corrigan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corrigan-david/Listen to our podcast on:🎧Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2hbwZqdw9yghczLMUDaLBB?si=6867d3b425b1434f🎧Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/data-wars-podcast/id1782784746📌 Don’t forget to like, comment, and share this video. Subscribe for more engaging conversations about data, AI, and business transformation.🔔 Follow us on LinkedIn for updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/datawarspodcast/

In this episode, Ash and Prash are joined by Kevin Bennett, VP of Marketing Operations & Analytics at Informatica, a visionary leader with over 20 years of experience in driving growth, pipeline, and operational excellence. Kevin shares his expertise on modern marketing, AI's transformative role, and creating customer-centric strategies that lead to sustainable business growth.Kevin discusses his journey from sales to marketing operations, emphasizing the importance of aligning people, processes, and technology to achieve long-term success. From setting a vision for modern marketing teams to navigating the evolution of B2B strategies, Kevin provides actionable insights to help organizations stay ahead in today’s dynamic landscape.Key highlights include:Setting the vision and execution plan for modern marketing teams.B2B marketing’s maturity journey: LoB vs. IT Ops and lifecycle management.AI as a game-changer in marketing operations and analytics.Empowering customers to make outcome-driven decisions.Discover how Kevin’s leadership style, shaped by empathy and innovation, is redefining marketing strategies at Informatica.Connect with Kevin Bennett through his email [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-bennett-83a374/Listen to our podcast on:🎧Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2hbwZqdw9yghczLMUDaLBB?si=6867d3b425b1434f🎧Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/data-wars-podcast/id1782784746📌 Don’t forget to like, comment, and share this video. Subscribe for more engaging conversations about data, AI, and business transformation.🔔 Follow us on LinkedIn for updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/datawarspodcast/

In this episode, Ash and Prash are thrilled to be joined by Harro Wiersma, a distinguished thought leader with over 25 years of experience in data governance, master data management, and data strategy. Harro has been at the forefront of helping organizations—from small businesses to global enterprises—navigate the complexities of data management, making him the perfect guest to discuss how to enable a successful data governance strategy. Harro dives deep into simplifying data governance, sharing his approach to turning this often-daunting topic into an actionable framework that organizations can adopt. Whether modernizing your SAP ERP system or empowering your team to take ownership of data quality, this episode is packed with real-world examples, best practices, and actionable advice.Key highlights include democratizing data governance, navigating ERP modernization, building sustainable governance structures, and avoiding common pitfalls. This episode is a must-listener if you want to elevate your data governance and transform how your organization handles data.Connect with Harro on his email address [email protected]. You can also reach out to him on LinkedIn for more insights: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hmwiersma/Listen to our podcast on:🎧Youtube: https://youtu.be/Y4NRoN-0xYA🎧Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/data-wars-podcast/id1782784746🎙️ Subscribe now and join us for an epic journey into the universe of data!🔗 Follow us on LinkedIn for updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/datawarspodcast/📌 Don't forget to like, comment, and share with your network. Let’s spark the ultimate data conversation!