REPORT
The 7 Shifts Reshaping the Data Stack for an AI-First World
Based on insights from 550+ data leaders and lessons from AI-forward enterprises.
Grounded in real enterprise deployments, AI pilots, and platform rebuilds.
What AI Demands from Data Teams Has Fundamentally Changed
Insights from our proprietary survey of 550+ data leaders, validated across real enterprise AI deployments.
of enterprises are betting big on AI. Only 17% say they have succeeded
of AI failures are caused by lack of business context
of enterprises are now investing most heavily in governance & metadata
of enterprises cite unclear ownership of AI as a challenge
have deployed AI at scale
What's Inside the Report
What replaces the modern data stack as data & AI collapse into one plane?
Will structured data still matter when AI can analyze every conversation, document, and interaction?
When AI builds pipelines and writes SQL, what happens to data teams?
If AI decisions depend on context, where should that context live?
What new skills and roles matter most in a nondeterministic, AI-driven world?
What replaces the modern data stack as data & AI collapse into one plane?
Will structured data still matter when AI can analyze every conversation, document, and interaction?
When AI builds pipelines and writes SQL, what happens to data teams?
If AI decisions depend on context, where should that context live?
What new skills and roles matter most in a nondeterministic, AI-driven world?
What replaces the modern data stack as data & AI collapse into one plane?
Will structured data still matter when AI can analyze every conversation, document, and interaction?
When AI builds pipelines and writes SQL, what happens to data teams?
If AI decisions depend on context, where should that context live?
What new skills and roles matter most in a nondeterministic, AI-driven world?
What replaces the modern data stack as data & AI collapse into one plane?
Will structured data still matter when AI can analyze every conversation, document, and interaction?
When AI builds pipelines and writes SQL, what happens to data teams?
If AI decisions depend on context, where should that context live?
What new skills and roles matter most in a nondeterministic, AI-driven world?
What replaces the modern data stack as data & AI collapse into one plane?
Will structured data still matter when AI can analyze every conversation, document, and interaction?
When AI builds pipelines and writes SQL, what happens to data teams?
If AI decisions depend on context, where should that context live?
What new skills and roles matter most in a nondeterministic, AI-driven world?
Join the Conversation at
The Great Data
Debate 2026
AI has broken the data stack — from unstructured analytics and data agents to context infrastructure and open interoperability.
The Great Data Debate 2026 brings together the founders, builders, and data leaders living through these shifts to debate what’s real, what’s hype, and what comes next:
Cindi Howson
Chief Data & AI Strategy Officer
Prukalpa Sankar
Founder & Co-CEO
Barry McCardle
Co-Founder & CEO
