Advice on Agentic AI: A Top Snowflake Exec Explains | CXOTalk #903

Most enterprises aren't ready for agentic AI, but ChristianKleinerman, Snowflake's EVP of Product, shares practical advice on what it takes to succeed: data readiness, governance, AI economics, and workforcestrategy. In this episode of CXOTalk, Kleinerman draws on 25 years ofenterprise technology experience to give leaders a realistic roadmap for AI adoption. He explains how to evaluate AI vendors in hours instead of months, which use cases deliver measurable ROI today, and how to build the data foundation that makes AI agents effective. 💡 KEY TOPICS DISCUSSED: -- How to assess AI agent capabilities through rapid iteration and low-cost experimentation -- The data prerequisites that determine whether AI initiatives succeed -- Which use cases deliver orders-of-magnitude productivity gains right now -- How coding assistants create value for non-technical roles like product managers and sales engineers -- Why the economics of technology evaluation have fundamentally shifted in your favor -- A practical framework for measuring ROI when outputs are non-deterministic -- How to structure small rollouts that scale based on proven success   🔷 Show notes: www.cxotalk.com/episode/snowflakes-evp-of-product-talks-hard-truths-on-agentic-ai-readiness-governance-and-ai-economics 🔷 Newsletter: www.cxotalk.com/subscribe 🔷 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/cxotalk 🔷 Twitter: twitter.com/cxotalk   📍 CHAPTERS: 00:00 ☁️ Introduction to AI Data Cloud and Snowflake's Role 01:15 🤖 Capabilities and Use Cases of Enterprise-Grade  AI Agents 03:55 🤖 Exploring AI Models and Their Potential 04:55 ⚙️ Challenges and Prerequisites for AI Adoption 09:43 💡 Practical Use Cases and Evaluating AI Solutions 18:39 💡 The Evolution of AI in Enterprise Technology 21:42 🤖 Agents and Interoperability in AI 25:06 📊 Data Challenges and the Role of AI 31:39 ⚙️ Challenges in Scaling AI from Proof of Concept to Production 33:48 📊 Governance and ROI in AI Implementation 38:37 🤖 AI's Impact on Jobs and Recommendations for Leaders   About CXOTalk: CXOTalk presents intimate conversations with the world's top business and technology leaders. No scripts. No rehearsals. Real insights. #aitransformation #ArtificialIntelligence #AgenticAI#EnterpriseAI #DataGovernance #Snowflake #CXOTalk #DigitalTransformation#AIStrategy #DataQuality #MachineLearning #BusinessLeadership