AI in People Decisions: Assist, Don’t Decide

Most enterprises aren't ready for agentic AI, but ChristianKleinerman, Snowflake's EVP of Product, shares practical advice on what it takes to succeed: data readiness, governance, AI economics, and workforcestrategy.

In this episode of CXOTalk, Kleinerman draws on 25 years ofenterprise technology experience to give leaders a realistic roadmap for AI adoption. He explains how to evaluate AI vendors in hours instead of months, which use cases deliver measurable ROI today, and how to build the data foundation that makes AI agents effective.

💡 KEY TOPICS DISCUSSED:

-- How to assess AI agent capabilities through rapid iteration and low-cost experimentation

-- The data prerequisites that determine whether AI initiatives succeed

-- Which use cases deliver orders-of-magnitude productivity gains right now

-- How coding assistants create value for non-technical roles like product managers and sales engineers

-- Why the economics of technology evaluation have fundamentally shifted in your favor

-- A practical framework for measuring ROI when outputs are non-deterministic

-- How to structure small rollouts that scale based on proven success

🔷 Show notes: www.cxotalk.com/episode/snowflakes-evp-of-product-talks-hard-truths-on-agentic-ai-readiness-governance-and-ai-economics

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📍 CHAPTERS:

00:00 ☁️ Introduction to AI Data Cloud and Snowflake's Role

01:15 🤖 Capabilities and Use Cases of Enterprise-Grade  AI Agents

03:55 🤖 Exploring AI Models and Their Potential

04:55 ⚙️ Challenges and Prerequisites for AI Adoption

09:43 💡 Practical Use Cases and Evaluating AI Solutions

18:39 💡 The Evolution of AI in Enterprise Technology

21:42 🤖 Agents and Interoperability in AI

25:06 📊 Data Challenges and the Role of AI

31:39 ⚙️ Challenges in Scaling AI from Proof of Concept to Production

33:48 📊 Governance and ROI in AI Implementation

38:37 🤖 AI's Impact on Jobs and Recommendations for Leaders

About CXOTalk:

CXOTalk presents intimate conversations with the world's top business and technology leaders. No scripts. No rehearsals. Real insights.

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