Keynote: Why AI Fails Without Data Products and Data Contracts
Why do enterprise AI initiatives struggle even when organizations have invested heavily in models, infrastructure, and advanced analytics? The answer often lies in the data foundations supporting those systems. Without reliable, reusable data products and clearly defined data contracts, scaling AI from experimentation to production becomes significantly more complex. In this keynote, "Keynote: Why AI Fails Without Data Products and Data Contracts," from COLLIDE Data + AI Conference 2026, Emma McGrattan, CTO @ Actian, explores a critical challenge facing enterprise data and AI leaders: building the trusted, consistent, and scalable data foundations required for successful AI adoption. As organizations accelerate their AI transformation strategies, data quality alone is no longer enough. Enterprise AI systems depend on well-defined data ownership, consistent interfaces, reliable pipelines, and shared expectations between data producers and consumers. Data products and data contracts offer important architectural and operational approaches to addressing these challenges. This keynote provides an opportunity to examine why modern data engineering, governance, and data product thinking are increasingly central to enterprise AI readiness. 🎯 Key Topics to Explore: Data Products and AI Readiness: How treating data as a managed, reusable product can support more reliable AI applications and enterprise analytics. Data Contracts and Reliability: Why clearly defined schemas, quality expectations, and agreements between data producers and consumers matter for AI systems. Data Quality and Governance: The role of trustworthy, discoverable, and well-governed data in reducing operational risks. Scaling Enterprise AI: How stronger data architecture and engineering practices can help organizations move from AI pilots toward production. Data Ownership and Accountability: Why clear responsibilities across data teams are essential for sustainable AI adoption. 🎤 Featured Keynote Speaker Emma McGrattan CTO | Actian (a division of HCLSoftware) About COLLIDE Data + AI Conference 2026 Organized by Data Science Connect, COLLIDE Data + AI Conference 2026 took place on October 1, 2026, at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The conference brings together enterprise decision-makers, data and AI executives, technology practitioners, and leading AI solution providers to explore the evolving data and AI landscape, scale AI responsibly, and exchange practical insights with industry peers. Learn more about COLLIDE: https://datasciconnect.com/events/collide/ ▶️ Watch More from COLLIDE 2026 Watch the full keynote to explore why data products and data contracts matter for building reliable, scalable enterprise AI systems. Subscribe to the Data Science Connect YouTube channel for more keynotes, expert presentations, and conversations from COLLIDE Data + AI Conference 2026 covering data engineering, enterprise AI, AI governance, and data strategy.