“Generative AI has done a ton for us. But where I'm also really interested is how it can help us bring together new sources of data that weren't able to be brought together before,” says Shirli Zelcer, Chief Data and Technology Officer at dentsu. Shirli shares her career journey from statistician to C-suite executive, and how it parallels the evolution of data and analytics from back-office practice to C-suite priority. She shares insights not only on the value of data for generative AI, but how generative AI is transforming the data space by helping organizations map the customer journey and better understand their needs in a trustworthy and innovative way. Finally, Shirli reminds us, “we're still so early on in this conversation—and this whole platform shift—that we haven't really even seen a lot of the impact that we're going to see in the future.”

Guest: Shirli Zelcer | dentsu

Related: Your Intelligent Data Strategy for AI

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Host: Susan Etlinger

The Leading the Shift podcast is a place for experts to share their insights and opinions. As students of the future of technology, Microsoft values inputs from a diverse set of voices. That said, the opinions and findings of our guests are their own and they may not necessarily reflect Microsoft's own research or positions.

“I like to think about proprietary data as an organization’s collective intelligence,” says Teresa Tung, Global Lead of Data Capability at Accenture. Teresa is a prolific inventor, holding over 225 patents and applications, and she leads the vision and strategy that ensures that Accenture is prepared for ever-changing data advancements. In this episode, Susan and Teresa discuss the changing nature of data and its value to an AI strategy. Teresa shares six insights to help organizations derive value from their proprietary data, including: the importance of unstructured data, the potential of synthetic data; why context is key for AI; data governance and security; and how generative AI can jumpstart data readiness. It’s a master class in data strategy, and a must-listen for anyone who is curious about how to get the most from their data, AI and cloud investments.

Guest: Teresa Tung | Accenture

Blog: 6 insights to make your data AI-ready, with Accenture's Teresa Tung

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Host: Susan Etlinger

The Leading the Shift podcast is a place for experts to share their insights and opinions. As students of the future of technology, Microsoft values inputs from a diverse set of voices. That said, the opinions and findings of our guests are their own and they may not necessarily reflect Microsoft's own research or positions.

You’ve heard of data-driven products, data-driven services and data-driven business models, but data.org is pioneering an entirely new field: data for social impact. In the premiere episode of Leading the Shift, guest Perry Hewitt, Chief Marketing and Product Officer at data.org, shares how the organization is taking data and AI and applying it to the world’s most challenging problems. Perry shares the results of the Generative AI Skills Challenge, including initiatives focused on dispelling misconceptions about women’s health in India, upskilling women entrepreneurs in northern Nigeria and creating intensive AI curricula for teachers, students and businesses in rural Mississippi. It’s a rigorous and innovative approach built around trust, respect and co-creation—as applicable to business as it is to the public sector.

Guest: Perry Hewitt | data.org

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Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts.

Host: Susan Etlinger

The Leading the Shift podcast is a place for experts to share their insights and opinions. As students of the future of technology, Microsoft values inputs from a diverse set of voices. That said, the opinions and findings of our guests are their own and they may not necessarily reflect Microsoft's own research or positions.

The AI platform shift brings immense opportunity, but the road to success isn’t always clear. On "Leading the Shift," a new podcast from Microsoft Azure, we'll talk to people doing just that—leading the platform shift in organizations of all kinds to learn with them along the way. Guests share personal experiences and pragmatic advice for navigating first-of-their-kind challenges and delivering meaningful, trustworthy innovation to their teams, customers, and communities. Whether you’re a decision-maker, a developer, or just curious about this new era of tech, join us to hear how real people tackle real innovation, in real life. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts starting January 28, 2025.