Ari Kaplan—Global Head of Evangelism at Databricks and a pioneer in sports analytics—explains why businesses fixated on AI often overlook the real advantage: making better decisions with their own data. He shares lessons from his work building analytics teams for Major League Baseball, advising McLaren’s F1 strategy, and helping companies apply AI where it actually works—without falling into hype-driven traps.
00:00 The Impact of Data on Baseball Strategy
00:45 Introduction to Ari Kaplan and His Work
01:10 Exploring AI vs. Data Intelligence
01:50 Ari Kaplan's Role at Databricks
02:56 The Evolution of Data and AI at Databricks
03:41 The Importance of Data Intelligence
06:37 Challenges and Metrics in AI and Data Science
15:15 Automation in Data Science and Machine Learning
20:24 The Role of Human Expertise in AI
30:34 The Rise of Data Intelligence
32:48 Human Rights Work and Gen AI
33:55 A Journey Through Sports Analytics
37:15 The Evolution of Baseball Analytics
40:10 Travis Kelce and the Power of Details in Data
44:43 Advice for Data Science Leaders
49:17 The Future of Data Intelligence
51:18 Tools and Processes for Data Accessibility
54:29 The Role of Human Judgment in Automation
58:57 Conclusion and Final Thoughts