In this VoiceAmerica episode, we explore AI's trust issues with Christian J. Ward, Chief Data Officer of Yext. We discuss how companies like OpenAI, Claude, and Google focus on building trust through a two-panel design that provides citations for AI-generated content. This trend harkens back to SEO practices, highlighting the renewed importance of citations. Ward notes that some businesses are even reporting new leads from AI interactions.

OpenAI's SearchGPT and Google's Gemini are leading this field, but we anticipate an explosion of open-source models accessing real-time data. The episode emphasizes the distinction between subjective and objective questions, with AI showing promise in handling objective queries that help with daily tasks and decision-making.

Ward explains how humans alternate between subjectivity and objectivity throughout their day, stating that "subjective is what you want, objective is what you need." This exploration aims to give listeners insight into AI's capabilities and potential impact on our everyday lives.

 

Christian J. Ward, the Executive Vice President, and Chief Data Officer at Yext, focused on the expanding applications of data and AI in marketing and entrepreneurship.

Yext helps organizations build digital experiences across channels on their  open and composable platform. The Yext Digital Experience Platform collects and organizes content to deliver AI-led experiences for any organization’s customers, employees, or partners. 

  His focus is to help Yext clients identify, value, and structure their knowledge to maximize their data value in AI and search applications. Ward co-authored the Amazon bestseller Data Leverage: Unlocking the Surprising Growth Potential of Data Partnerships and has developed and executed hundreds of data partnerships worldwide. 

Ward has served as Chief Data Officer of Arizent, Chief Data Officer of Data Axle, and Global Head of Content Innovation at Thomson Reuters, among other roles. He founded and sold two structured data companies, one in financial analytics and the other in media analytics. He has been quoted in publications like the Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Adweek, Fortune, and Forbes. He speaks frequently on data strategy, partnerships, and the impact of Artificial Intelligence.