Data alone is no longer a competitive advantage in the age of AI. What sets organizations apart is their ability to transform timely, trusted information into decisions and actions that drive business value.

To explore this shift, CDO Magazine hosted its Executive Boardroom Dinner at Morton’s The Steakhouse in San Jose on July 8, where senior data, analytics, and AI executives gathered for a discussion on “From Real-Time Data to Trusted Action in the Age of AI.”

Participants explored how rising AI expectations are reshaping data strategies, from determining where real-time data delivers meaningful business impact to establishing trusted, reusable data assets that can support both analytics and AI workloads. 

Sharing her experience, Srujana Kaddevarmuth, Walmart Global Head, Applied AI Labs, says, “I had a great time connecting with and learning from my industry peers the other day. It was an insightful discussion, and I came away with a few key reflections.”

Kaddevarmuth shares the following key takeaways:

• AI’s greatest value isn’t in answering questions; it’s in becoming a trusted teammate that amplifies human potential.
• The trillion-dollar AI economy will be built not by isolated innovation, but by leaders who collaborate, share, and create AI teammates that transform how we work.
• AI becomes truly transformative the moment it stops being just a tool and starts becoming a teammate.

Anthony Losanno, CDO Magazine Managing Director, highlights, “The discussions made one thing clear: AI is raising the bar for every organization and making trusted, actionable data more important than ever. The discussion focused on many topics, but led back to how real-time insights truly drive business outcomes regardless of industry.”

Drew Gatman, IBM Field Marketing Manager, Data & AI Federal Market, sums it up, “The conversations at our CDO Magazine dinner reinforced a critical reality: the value of data isn’t determined by how fast it moves, but by how effectively it drives action. As AI raises expectations for speed and quality, organizations must navigate fragmentation, strike the right balance between standardization and flexibility, and focus on the moments where real-time truly creates business impact. 

“The evening underscored that leaders who succeed will be those who close the gap between insight and action, ensuring data becomes a catalyst for trusted decisions rather than simply a repository of information,” Gatman adds. 

Special thanks to IBM for their partnership in making the event a success.

Executives attending the CDO Magazine San Jose Executive Boardroom Dinner included: 

Markus Anderle, Salesforce VP, Sales Data Science & Global Intelligence; Daniel Humble, Zendesk VP, Enterprise AI/ML Data & Analytics; Srujana Kaddevarmuth, Walmart Global Head, Applied AI Labs; Melvin Lee, Riverbed Sr. Head, IT Director, Infrastructure & Services; Alexander Marzano, 1TCC Chief Information Officer; Rounak Mehta, Salesforce Sr. Director, Product Management; Viroo Mirji, DDN Principal AI Solutions Architect; Bhavani Palukuri, Patelco Credit Union VP, Enterprise Architecture & AI Innovation; Gary Patel, Albertsons Companies Sr. Director, BI & Analytics; Sachin Vaidya, Heritage Bank of Commerce EVP, Chief Information Officer; Venu Chillarige, IBM Technology Sales Manager; Kiyu Gabriel, IBM Field Chief Technology Officer; Drew Gatman, IBM Field Marketing Manager, Data & AI Federal Market; Ranjit Gundarlahalli, Confluent Sr. Solutions Engineer; Natalie Kirkland, IBM Regional Sales Director; Anne Ratcliffe, IBM Global MDM Sales Executive; Mark Staveley, IBM Enterprise Account Executive; Anthony Losanno, CDO Magazine Managing Director.