Risks when tools fail

This episode is a re-air of one of our most popular conversations from this year, featuring insights worth revisiting. Thank you for being part of the Data Stack community. Stay up to date with the latest episodes at datastackshow.com.

This week on The Data Stack Show, John and Matt dive into the latest trends in AI, discussing the evolution of GPT models, the role of tools in reducing hallucinations, and the ongoing debate between data warehouses and agent-based approaches. They also explore the complexities of risk-taking in data teams, drawing lessons from Nate Silver’s book on risk and sharing real-world analogies from cybersecurity, football, and political campaigns. Key takeaways include the importance of balancing innovation with practical risk management, the need for clear recommendations from data professionals, the value of reading fiction to understand human behavior in data, and so much more.

Highlights from this week’s conversation include:

• Initial Impressions of GPT-5 (1:41)
• AI Hallucinations and the Open-Source GPT Model (4:06)
• Tools and Determinism in AI Agents (6:00)
• Risks of Tool Reliance in AI (8:05)
• The Next Big Data Fight: Warehouses vs. Agents (10:21)
• Real-Time Data Processing Limitations (12:56)
• Risk in Data and AI: Book Recommendation (17:08)
• Measurable vs. Perceived Risk in Business (20:10)
• Security Trade-Offs and Organizational Impact (22:31)
• The Quest for Certainty and Wicked Learning Environments (27:37)
• Poker, Process, and Data Team Longevity (29:11)
• Support Roles and Limits of Data Teams (32:56)
• Final Thoughts and Takeaways (34:20)

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