This is episode 12 of the ThinkData podcast in partnership with Dataworks. In this episode, we welcomed Ari Kaplan from Databricks.

Ari is the Head Evangelist responsible for increasing awareness of the Databricks product and has a fascinating background in Sports analytics, where he spent several years with the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs. His career has seen him then work for the likes of Nielson and Datarobot where he has been at the forefront of Data and AI for over 15 years.

We covered a lot, including -

• What does a week in the life of an evangelist look like and what IS an evangelist?
• What took him to a career in sports analytics and then on to work for some of the most recognized Data vendors in the world?
• Who are Databricks and what makes them such a force to be reckoned with?
• In a market with a new tool and vendor being released each day, what key considerations should organizations make before deciding what tools and tech stack to go with?
• What is behind the seemingly rapid rise and adoption of AI Tools and techniques to the mainstream
• What are Ari's predictions for the next 12/18 months in the world of Data & AI
• His advice for anyone looking to break into the more commercial side of AI

Thank you Ari for a cracking discussion, and for anyone interested in finding out more about him and Dataworks, make sure you give him a follow on here.