The Data Chief

Why "Garbage In, Disaster Out" is AI's New Reality: Ecolab CDO


Listen Later

Join us for expert insights on driving data-led change. Anand Iyer, Senior Vice President and Chief Data Officer at Ecolab, breaks down his approach to AI-powered innovation. He shares how to ensure AI initiatives directly impact the bottom line, why an engineering approach is key for prioritizing AI use cases, and that "garbage in, disaster out" is the new reality for data at AI scale. Discover how self-service analytics with AI is transforming data access and why AI is now a critical "business forcing function" in today's volatile world.

Key Moments:

  • The "Value First Mindset" for AI (03:13): Despite the hype around AI, initiatives must directly impact the top or bottom line in a measurable way. Sustained investment requires a clear link between the AI initiative and its financial value, moving beyond "soft benefits."
  • Engineering Mindset for Prioritization (11:27): Anand discusses how an engineering approach is applied to prioritizing AI use cases, which helps teams focus on thoroughly understanding the problem and desired outcome before selecting a solution. 
  • "Garbage In, Disaster Out" (14:27): A new take on an old adage is introduced: "in the AI world is garbage in and disaster out". This highlights the magnified risks of bad data when leveraged at AI scale.
  • Advocacy for Self-Service Analytics with AI (24:10): Self-service analytics is championed, describing how the integration of AI and conversational AI allows users to ask questions regarding the data. This removes the need for IT involvement in report generation and simplifies the learning curve for data structures.
  • AI as a Business Forcing Function (33:38): In today's volatile global environment, near real-time data and AI-driven insights are no longer optional but a "business forcing function". Rapid reactions to market disruptions, policy changes, and supply chain issues are critical for a company's survival and success.

Key Quotes:

  • "If you want to have a seat at the table, you've got to be able to talk in terms of what the value is in terms of dollars." - Anand Iyer
  • “We've deployed ThoughtSpot technology to be able to provide self-serve analytics to our teams, which allows them to have access to the data. This enables them to have conversational questions.” - Anand Iyer
  • "The role that data, analytics, and AI play is the ability to give business leaders access to impact and what they should do in a very timely manner so that they can minimize any impact to business." - Anand Iyer

Mentions:

  • Before You Ask an AI Chatbot for Depression Advice, Read This
  • 'Garbage in, Garbage out': AI Fails to Debunk Disinformation, Study Finds
  • The Bhagavad Gita - By Bed Vyas

Guest Bio:

Anand Iyer is the SVP, Chief Data Officer at Ecolab, where he leads the company’s global data and analytics strategy. Based in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, he oversees enterprise data governance, business intelligence, engineering, and advanced analytics to accelerate Ecolab’s digital transformation. Since joining in 2018, Anand has held several senior roles, including VP of Enterprise Architecture and VP of Architecture for Commercial Digital Solutions, helping to scale IoT and data-driven platforms across the organization.

With over 14 years of experience in data architecture and digital innovation, Anand has a proven track record of aligning technical solutions with business outcomes. Prior to Ecolab, he held leadership roles at GE Healthcare Digital, CSRA Inc., and CSC. He holds an engineering degree from the National Institute of Technology Rourkela and is known for building high-performing teams and cultivating a data-first culture that drives smarter, more sustainable decisions.

Hear more from Cindi Howson here. Sponsored by ThoughtSpot.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Data ChiefBy ThoughtSpot

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

74 ratings


More shows like The Data Chief

View all
The McKinsey Podcast by McKinsey & Company

The McKinsey Podcast

392 Listeners

The AI in Business Podcast by Daniel Faggella

The AI in Business Podcast

170 Listeners

Gartner ThinkCast by Gartner

Gartner ThinkCast

111 Listeners

Super Data Science: ML & AI Podcast with Jon Krohn by Jon Krohn

Super Data Science: ML & AI Podcast with Jon Krohn

297 Listeners

NVIDIA AI Podcast by NVIDIA

NVIDIA AI Podcast

340 Listeners

Data Engineering Podcast by Tobias Macey

Data Engineering Podcast

143 Listeners

DataFramed by DataCamp

DataFramed

267 Listeners

The Story by Mission

The Story

236 Listeners

Mission Daily by Mission.org

Mission Daily

219 Listeners

Practical AI by Practical AI LLC

Practical AI

208 Listeners

IT Visionaries by Mission

IT Visionaries

171 Listeners

Education Trends by Mission

Education Trends

41 Listeners

The Future of Cities by Mission

The Future of Cities

75 Listeners

Marketing Trends by Mission

Marketing Trends

279 Listeners

Find Your Mission by Mission

Find Your Mission

38 Listeners

Hidden In Plain Sight by Mission

Hidden In Plain Sight

87 Listeners

Up Next In Commerce by Mission

Up Next In Commerce

136 Listeners

Me, Myself, and AI by MIT Sloan Management Review

Me, Myself, and AI

106 Listeners

AI Chat: ChatGPT & AI News, Artificial Intelligence, OpenAI, Machine Learning by Jaeden Schafer

AI Chat: ChatGPT & AI News, Artificial Intelligence, OpenAI, Machine Learning

151 Listeners

Possible by Reid Hoffman

Possible

121 Listeners

The AI Daily Brief: Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis by Nathaniel Whittemore

The AI Daily Brief: Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

550 Listeners

AI For Humans: Making Artificial Intelligence Fun & Practical by Kevin Pereira & Gavin Purcell

AI For Humans: Making Artificial Intelligence Fun & Practical

265 Listeners

HBR On Leadership by Harvard Business Review

HBR On Leadership

162 Listeners

Beyond The Prompt - How to use AI in your company by Jeremy Utley & Henrik Werdelin

Beyond The Prompt - How to use AI in your company

56 Listeners