The AI Guide Everyone Needs in 2026 ft. Gaurav Pathak
AI isn't just a technology trend. It's fundamentally reshaping how enterprises manage, govern and activate their data to power intelligent systems. In this episode of Bringing Data and AI to Life, host Amy Horowitz, GVP Solutions Sales and Business Development at Informatica sits down with Gaurav Pathak, VP of Product Management for AI and Metadata at Informatica to explore how organizations can land on the winning side of this transformation. What You’ll Learn How to shift from manual, code-driven data pipelines to AI-assisted automation The critical role of data quality and governance in agentic AI success Why the "long tail of real-world scenarios" is your biggest AI challenge The three innovation vectors reshaping AI right now How to approach open-source and international AI models with strategic clarity The governance framework that enables rather than restricts AI experimentation If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Instructions on how to do this are here. This podcast is brought to you by Informatica, the leader in enterprise cloud data management. Links: Gaurav Pathak on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaurav-pathak-1916357/ Informatica: https://www.informatica.com/ Amy Horowitz LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyhorowitz/ Informatica Website: https://www.informatica.com/ Episode Highlights: 00:00 Introduction & Meeting Gaurav Pathak 01:39 From Manual Code-Driven Pipelines to AI-Powered Automation 05:18 Quality Data: The Silent Foundation of Every AI Success 10:11 Understanding Agentic AI and the Long Tail Problem 12:57 Three Innovation Vectors Reshaping AI Right Now 15:48 AI Governance: Enabling Innovation Through Transparent Controls 20:18 Open-Source Models and Data Sovereignty: Strategic Adoption 22:36 Key Takeaways & Final Thoughts