In this special Inspire Alter everything episode, we unlock the secrets of building trustworthy AI to drive real impact. In a world flooded with flashy demos, it’s important to understand what separates those leading the pack from those chasing trends. This episode reveals how top executive leaders are transforming AI from experimental pilot projects into reliable business engines that truly serve customers.

Start your 30 day free trial of Alteryx desktop or the Analytics cloud platform at https://www.alteryx.com/AlterEverything

Subscribe to the Alter Everything podcast on your favorite podcast app:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alter-everything/id1356137854

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/17KLxb23QlvgcbvLiaPck1?si=FWmOQEITRFCQ42smFjOpfA

Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/alteryx/alter-everything

Episode Chapters

0:00 AI Beyond the Demo

1:18 Ben Canning: Building AI People Can Trust

2:36 Hands-On Product Leadership

3:26 Leading Teams Through AI Change

7:01 Turning AI Experiments Into Practice

10:51 The Future of AI Interfaces

12:32 Michelle Huff: AI in Marketing

15:32 Experimentation and Business Value

18:40 The AI "Aha" Moment

21:12 Derek Bates: AI in Sales

24:26 AI as a Sales Advantage

27:18 Alteryx One and MCP

30:34 Closing Thoughts

This week on Alter Everything, dive into a comprehensive discussion on how AI is reshaping marketing teams, outlining what tasks AI is best suited for, and emphasizing the critical role of human oversight. This episode offers practical insights on integrating AI tools effectively while maintaining brand integrity and governance.

Start your 30 day free trial of Alteryx desktop or the Analytics cloud platform at https://www.alteryx.com/AlterEverything

Subscribe to the Alter Everything podcast on your favorite podcast app:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alter-everything/id1356137854

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/17KLxb23QlvgcbvLiaPck1?si=FWmOQEITRFCQ42smFjOpfA

Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/alteryx/alter-everything

Episode Chapters

0:00 AI meets real marketing teams

1:35 What inbound marketing means

4:08 Where AI in marketing stands today

7:11 Adoption challenges: tools, workflows, and mindset

12:00 The 80/20 shift for AI work

15:50 Copywriting, brand voice, and human editing

22:37 AI, design, and human creativity

27:48 Marketing tech stacks and AI literacy

34:04 Governance, security, and shadow AI

40:32 What AI-first marketing teams may look like

45:32 Lightning round: tools, skills, and mistakes

51:18 Closing reflections

In this episode of Alter Everything, we sit down with Fern Halper to discuss how most companies are now hitting a stage where productivity gains plateau because foundational elements like data, governance, and measurement are overlooked. Fern, a seasoned data and AI expert, reveals how organizations often chase quick wins with off-the-shelf tools, only to hit a wall when results stop improving or are unmeasurable.

• Fern Halper, VP of Research @ TDWI - LinkedIn
• Joshua Burkhow, Chief Evangelist @ Alteryx - @JoshuaB , LinkedIn

Resources and Links

• Data Makes the World Go Round
• EU AI Act

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Start your 30 day free trial of Alteryx desktop or the Analytics cloud platform at https://www.alteryx.com/AlterEverything

Subscribe to the Alter Everything podcast on your favorite podcast app:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alter-everything/id1356137854

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/17KLxb23QlvgcbvLiaPck1?si=FWmOQEITRFCQ42smFjOpfA

Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/alteryx/alter-everything

0:00 Opening Question

2:01 Why 2026 Is a Building Year

7:59 The Value Ceiling

14:40 Measuring Real AI Progress

17:56 Why AI Governance Is Different

20:06 Governing Agentic Systems

27:34 Original Thought as Competitive Edge

32:09 Designing for Augmentation

35:36 Predictive Analytics and Agentic AI

38:54 Lightning Round

42:08 Moving Beyond Productivity Theater

44:17 Key Takeaways