Why AI Excitement Is Outpacing Data Reality with Jim Kruger of Informatica
February 5, 2026
What if the rush to AI is actually costing you millions in failed implementations? In this episode of Bringing Data and AI to Life, host Amy Horowitz, GVP Solutions Sales and Business Development at Informatica, sits down with Jim Kruger, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer at Informatica, to explore why data quality and governance must come before AI ambitions. Drawing from his unique experience as a CMO with full pipeline accountability, Jim shares why the "trust paradox" is the biggest hurdle to AI success and how leaders can prepare for the next era of agentic business.
Many companies are rushing to roll out AI initiatives, but without a strong data foundation, the results can be catastrophic. In this episode, Jim Kruger, EVP and CMO at Informatica, joins host Amy Horowitz, GVP Solutions Sales and Business Development at Informatica, to unpack the critical gap between AI ambitions and data reality.
What You’ll Learn
- The foundational data quality issues that lead to costly resets.
- Why board excitement for AI is outpacing the reality of enterprise data infrastructure.
- A data-intensive approach to aligning sales and marketing through granular tracking.
- Why autonomous agents demand 100% data confidence to avoid reputational damage.
- Why "what you don't do" is just as important as your AI bets.
- Practical steps to audit data readiness and upskill teams for the AI era.
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This podcast is brought to you by Informatica, the leader in enterprise cloud data management.
Links:
Jim Kruger on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-Kruger/
Informatica Website: https://www.informatica.com/
Amy Horowitz LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyhorowitz
Global CDO Insight Survey: https://www.informatica.com/blogs/cdo-insights-2026-ai-adoption-accelerates-but-trust-and-governance-lag-behind.html
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Previous guests include:
Salema Rice host of Data Governance and Data Integration Solution Sales, Willem Koenders of ZS Associates, Tanja Ubert of Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Graeme Thompson of Informatica
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Bringing Data and AI to Life Guest and Audience Feedback
Leave us a voice note!
Previous guests include:
Salema Rice host of Data Governance and Data Integration Solution Sales, Willem Koenders of ZS Associates, Tanja Ubert of Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Graeme Thompson of Informatica
Check out our Top episodes:
- Why Do We Still Struggle to Trust AI? with Graeme Thompson from Informatica
- Data Quality Over Quantity and the Human Element, with Tanja Ubert from Rotterdam University
- The Power of Data Governance and Responsible AI with Salema Rice, Chief Executive Officer at CDO Today