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.

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

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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

Welcome back to Alter Everything! Explore the evolving landscape of AI and its increasing integration with human decision-making, collaboration, and societal impact. This episode features insights from Tiankai Feng, a thought leader in human-centered AI governance, discussing how organizations can responsibly deploy AI while maintaining accountability, authenticity, and social trust.

Panelists:

• Tiankai Feng, Data & AI Strategy Director @ Thoughtworks - LinkedIn
• Joshua Burkhow, Chief Evangelist @ Alteryx - @JoshuaB, LinkedIn

Resources and Links

• Humanizing Data Strategy - by Tiankai Feng
• Humanizing AI Strategy - by Tiankai Feng
• ThoughtWorks - Official website
• Books on AI ethics and governance
• YouTube - Data & AI Music Parodies

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 Opening teaser

2:09 Meet Tiankai Feng

3:41 Why AI failures are really human failures

8:55 Should humans adapt to AI or constrain it?

13:19 Defining your relationship with AI

16:02 Decision-making, prompting fatigue, and trust

19:27 AI, teams, and collaboration

27:37 The "they" layer and unseen stakeholders

32:18 Deepfakes, disinformation, and critical thinking

36:02 The environmental cost of AI

39:48 Why AI governance must evolve

42:14 A dual-track AI strategy for leaders

45:54 Lightning round

48:28 Where to find Tiankai Feng