Episode 3
Is Semantic Layer =
Context Layer?
Both the semantic layer and the context layer exist to help AI agents understand your business. A semantic layer teaches agents business language and meaning. But is knowing the meaning sufficient for agents to take action? Dave Mariani, co-founder and CTO of AtScale, joins Austin to give his honest take on where they diverge — and whether they're just different names for the same solution.
Questions we'll tackle:
- How is a semantic layer different from an enterprise context layer?
- The semantic layer existed for 30 years before AI made it urgent. What changed?
- The semantic layer gives AI a vocabulary. Does vocabulary make AI trustworthy?
- When every platform ships a semantic layer, who ends up owning your business logic?
SPEAKERS
CONVERSATION LEADERS
HOST
Director of Data Strategy, Atlan
Former Gartner Director who spent years advising Fortune 500 data leaders on analytics strategy — now Director of Data Strategy at Atlan. He's the person large enterprises call when they can't figure out why their AI keeps getting context wrong.
GUEST
Co-founder and CTO, AtScale
Co-founder and CTO of AtScale — one of the companies that put the semantic layer on the enterprise map. He's spent decades building the infrastructure that sits between raw data and business decisions — and now brings that perspective to the question every enterprise data team is asking.