siliconindia | | SEPTEMBER 20258IN MYOPINIONBy Amit Shivpuja, Director of Data Product Governance and Strategy, Walmart [NYSE: WMT]Amit Shivpuja is Director of Data Product Governance and Strategy at Walmart, leading a global team delivering data assets worth ~$3B per quarter. With 20+ years' experience, he is recognized for pioneering AI-driven solutions and advancing data governance excellence. Why today's businesses must weave together clean data, autonomous AI and robust oversight to thriveIn an era where decisions are powered by machine speed and sheer information volume, simply collecting data isn't enough. Enterprises must marry high-quality data with intelligent, autonomous agents--and wrap them in governance guardrails--to unlock true value while staying on the right side of compliance, ethics and trust. As organizations navigate an increasingly complex digital landscape, this three-pronged approach becomes not just advantageous but essential for sustainable growth and innovation.1. From Raw Bits to Business InsightsPicture data as the ingredients in a gourmet kitchen. Raw veggies, spices, proteins--they're all useful, but until you prep, measure and combine them in the right recipe (context), you can't plate a meal. Similarly, unfiltered data--customer clicks, sales figures, IoT readings--must be cataloged, cleansed and enriched before it fuels any decision. This transformation from raw information to actionable insights requires meticulous attention to detail and sophisticated data management practices.· Accuracy & Consistency: Errors in one system bleed into analytics platforms, skewing insights. Organizations must implement robust validation protocols and data quality frameworks to ensure information integrity across their entire data ecosystem.· Timeliness: Old data can mislead: think a three-month-old inventory report that sends you into overstock. Real-time or near-real-time data processing capabilities are becoming crucial for maintaining competitive advantage in fast-moving markets.· Context & Metadata: Labels like "source," "owner" and "confidence score" are the salt and pepper that season your insights. These crucial metadata elements provide the necessary context for meaningful interpretation and decision-making."Data isn't just numbers--it's the raw imagination of your organization. Clean, contextual data sets the stage for every innovation." --Amit Shivpuja2. Enter Autonomous AgentsOnce you have that well-organized pantry, you need a master chef. In today's tech kitchens, these chefs are intelligent, autonomous agents: software entities that can perceive, decide and act on their own within predefined boundaries. These sophisticated AI systems represent the next evolution in business process automation and decision support.· What they could do for you:· Conduct real-time data analysis (e.g., flagging fraudulent transactions)· Orchestrate workflows (e.g., triggering replenishment orders when stock dips below threshold)· Personalize customer journeys at scale (e.g., adjusting recommendations mid-session)· Why they excite:· Speed: Agents ingest streams of data, make micro-decisions and learn--24/7, operating at a pace that's hard to match.· Scale: One agent can potentially manage many concurrent processes, effectively handling complexity that would overwhelm traditional systems.· Adaptability: Modern agents refine policies through reinforcement learning, continuously improving their performance based on real-world outcomes.3. The Governance ImperativeAutonomy without guardrails quickly turns into chaos. Imagine a robotic chef that decides to substitute sugar for salt across an entire restaurant chain. Governance ensures agents operate within ethical, legal and strategic boundaries. This BRIDGING DATA, INTELLIGENT AGENTS, AND GOVERNANCEAmit Shivpuja
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