AI Expo Day Two: The Hype Hangover Hits Hard
Day two of the AI & Big Data Expo in London made one thing clear: the AI party is over, and now everyone’s stuck cleaning up the data mess.
The early euphoria around generative AI has cooled faster than a forgotten coffee. Now, enterprise leaders are realizing they can’t just sprinkle ChatGPT on their business and call it transformation. The new buzzwords? “Infrastructure,” “governance,” and “data lineage” — the corporate way of saying we’re trying to make this stuff actually work.
Data: Still the Drama Queen of AI
Northern Trust’s DP Indetkar warned that bad data can turn AI into a “B-movie robot.” In other words: if your database looks like a junk drawer, your algorithm will act like one. Others agreed — Just Eat’s Eric Bobek noted that without clean data, your fancy AI is basically a toddler with a calculator.
Regulation Nation
Finance and healthcare speakers reminded everyone that their sectors have zero tolerance for AI “oopsies.” Visa’s Konstantina Kapetanidi warned that giving models tools to act autonomously creates more security holes than a Swiss cheese firewall. Lloyds’ Parinita Kothari summed it up best: “AI is not a set-and-forget situation. Think more babysitting, less automation.”
Developers vs. Their New Robot Coworkers
Panels agreed that AI is changing coding from “writing” to “editing what your AI just hallucinated.” More copilots means less typing, more verifying — and a pressing need to train developers not to trust a chatbot with production code.
Low-Code, No-Code, Mo’ Problems?
Low-code evangelists claimed AI tools can help build apps faster without breaking everything. It’s a fine line, but apparently possible if governance doesn’t fall apart.
From Digital Tools to Digital Colleagues
One speaker suggested we start calling AIs “digital colleagues.” Which is cute until they start asking for PTO.
Bottom Line:
The generative gold rush is giving way to the “please don’t break compliance” era. Success now depends less on wild innovation and more on clean data, clear rules, and constant human babysitting. AI might not be the future that magically fixes everything — but it’s definitely the one that needs better spreadsheets.
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