208: Making AI a Team Sport with Alteryx CEO Andy MacMillan

In this episode of Alter Everything, Alteryx CEO Andy MacMillan joins host Joshua Burkhow to explore what it takes to move AI from personal experiments to tools an entire team can trust. Andy shares his journey from software developer to CEO, why businesses get stuck in the “single-player” AI trap, and how empowering the people who know the business best can help unlock AI’s potential. Tune in for a candid conversation about curiosity, collaboration, and why your business expertise matters more than ever.

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• 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 How AI Earns Trust at Work

2:08 Andy MacMillan's Path from Developer to CEO

7:31 Making Enterprise AI Practical

12:12 The Single-Player AI Trap

21:36 From Early Web Tools to Multiplayer AI

29:12 Empowering Business Experts Without Code

34:26 How AI Changes Software Development

40:12 Combining Probabilistic AI with Business Logic

48:18 The Second AI Aha Moment

54:55 Rapid-Fire Questions on Enterprise AI

1:00:54 Building with AI and Scaling Across Teams

In this episode of Alter Everything, our host, Joshua Burkhow, sits down with Jordan Morrow, SVP of Data and AI Transformation at AgileOne and the “Godfather of Data Literacy”, to explore what it really takes to thrive in the age of AI.

They discuss why curiosity, critical thinking, and confidence matter more than mastering the latest tools, how leaders can build cultures that encourage learning and experimentation, and why successful AI adoption starts with investing in people before technology.

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 AI and the Human

2:00 Jordan Morrow's Data Literacy Journey

5:35 First Principles and AI Fundamentals

13:37 The Confidence and Skills Gap

15:00 Focus, Anxiety, and Being Human

18:48 AI, Work, and Leadership

25:01 Curiosity as AI Literacy

26:44 Psychological Safety and AI Culture

29:33 Mental Workouts and Human Creativity

33:27 Lightning Round: Skills, Confidence, and Critical Thinking

37:45 Everyone Has a Seat at the Table

38:39 Final Takeaway

In this special Inspire Alter everything episode, we unlock the secrets of building trustworthy AI to drive real impact. In a world flooded with flashy demos, it’s important to understand what separates those leading the pack from those chasing trends. This episode reveals how top executive leaders are transforming AI from experimental pilot projects into reliable business engines that truly serve customers.

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 AI Beyond the Demo

1:18 Ben Canning: Building AI People Can Trust

2:36 Hands-On Product Leadership

3:26 Leading Teams Through AI Change

7:01 Turning AI Experiments Into Practice

10:51 The Future of AI Interfaces

12:32 Michelle Huff: AI in Marketing

15:32 Experimentation and Business Value

18:40 The AI "Aha" Moment

21:12 Derek Bates: AI in Sales

24:26 AI as a Sales Advantage

27:18 Alteryx One and MCP

30:34 Closing Thoughts

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.

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 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.

Panelists:

• 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

Ready to get hands-on with Alteryx One? You can now dive into two brand-new learning paths—Workspace Administrator and Account Administrator—designed to help you build real expertise, fast. Even better, you’ll be able to validate your skills with official certifications launching May 1.

Explore these new paths and unlock all of our free learning content today on Alteryx Academy.

Start learning now: [Visit Alteryx Academy]

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

In this episode of Alter Everything, we are joined by Dr. Ami Bhatt for a discussion around her multifaceted role in healthcare, emphasizing the integration of AI in clinical practice. She highlights the potential of AI to improve access to care, enhance clinical decision-making, and support drug development. Dr. Bhatt also addresses the challenges of implementing AI in healthcare and the importance of human expertise in leveraging technology effectively.

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

00:04 Opening: Why healthcare AI is different

01:39 Dr. Ami Bhatt's role across care, innovation, and policy

06:14 Three major areas where AI is shaping healthcare

12:41 Why AI on EKGs is especially promising

14:46 Collaborative intelligence vs. replacing humans

21:16 Ambient documentation and the doctor-patient connection

24:47 What "good enough" means when access is limited

31:41 Prevention, digital health, and patient agency

34:55 Self-diagnosis with AI and advice for clinicians

41:42 Lightning round

We’re back! In this episode of Alter Everything, Josh Burkhow sits down with Ari Kaplan, Head of Evangelism at Databricks and a pioneer of AI in sports. From building operating systems as a kid and studying at Caltech to transforming baseball analytics and now shaping enterprise AI strategy, Ari shares how physics-inspired thinking, relentless curiosity, and better data have driven his career. They explore the evolution from databases to generative AI, common mistakes organizations make with GenAI, why data engineering matters more than prompt engineering, and how true evangelism is about planting seeds and not pushing hype.

Panelists

• Ari Kaplan, Head of Evangelism @ Databricks – LinkedIn
• Joshua Burkhow, Chief Evangelist @ Alteryx – @JoshuaB, LinkedIn

Topics

• Databricks
• Major League Baseball analytics & the Moneyball era
• AI in sports, healthcare, and enterprise
• Generative AI & data engineering foundations
• Data + AI governance
• Raoul Wallenberg humanitarian investigation
• Alter Everything podcast

We’re back! Explore the future of artificial intelligence in the year 2026 with Patrick McGarry, Federal Chief Data Officer at ServiceNow, and Dr. Jupiter Bakakeu, Lead Generative AI Technologist at Alteryx. This milestone 200th episode examines the critical shift from AI as an answer machine to AI as an autonomous work agent capable of executing tasks independently. Learn about the four characteristics of AI agents (perceive, reflect, act, learn), discover which tasks organizations should and shouldn't delegate to AI, and understand why modernization, trust, and governance matter more than model selection. 

Panelists:

• Patrick McGarry, Federal Chief Data Officer @ ServiceNow - LinkedIn
• Jupiter Bakakeu, Lead Generative AI Technologist @ Alteryx - LinkedIn
• Joshua Burkhow, Chief Evangelist @ Alteryx - @JoshuaB, LinkedIn

Show notes: 

• ServiceNow
• Alteryx
• Data.world
• "Beyond the Algorithm" by Patrick McGarry (upcoming publication)

Interested in sharing your feedback with the Alter Everything team? Take our feedback survey here!

This episode was produced by Cecilia Murray, Mike Cusic, and Matt Rotundo. Special thanks to Andy Uttley for the theme music.

Join us for a special farewell episode of the Alter Everything Podcast as we celebrate the impactful journey of host Megan Bowers. In this episode, Megan reflects on her career in data analytics, her experiences at Alteryx, and the evolution of the podcast. Discover insights on building a personal brand, the importance of networking in the data industry, and the future of data science and AI. Hear memorable stories from past episodes, expert interviews, and practical advice for data professionals. 

Panelists: 

• Michael Cusic, Sr. Learning Experience Designer @ Alteryx - @mikecusic, LinkedIn
• Megan Bowers, Sr. Content Manager @ Alteryx - @MeganBowers, LinkedIn

Show notes: 

• Alteryx Community Blog Content
• Episode 194: AI and Data Pipelines
• Episode 134: Building Trust in AI with Fiddler
• Episode 140: Using Alteryx to Understand Climate Change
• Alteryx ACE program

Interested in sharing your feedback with the Alter Everything team? Take our feedback survey here!

This episode was produced by Cecilia Murray, Mike Cusic, and Matt Rotundo. Special thanks to Andy Uttley for the theme music.

In this episode of "Alter Everything," we sit down with Andrew Merrill, Alteryx product specialist and advocate, to explore best practices for integrating AI and LLMs into data analytics processes. Some topics we discuss include proven design patterns for generative AI, such as feedback loops, routing, and RAG architectures, and learn how to avoid common pitfalls like token overuse and data governance challenges. Andrew shares real-world use cases, tips for leveraging Alteryx Co-pilot, and strategies for prompt engineering to maximize workflow efficiency. 

Panelists: 

• Andrew Merrill, Alteryx Consultant - @CoG, LinkedIn
• Megan Bowers, Sr. Content Manager @ Alteryx - @MeganBowers, LinkedIn

Show notes: 

• Alteryx Gen AI Tools
• Alteryx Co-pilot
• Alteryx Inspire

Interested in sharing your feedback with the Alter Everything team? Take our feedback survey here!

This episode was produced by Cecilia Murray, Mike Cusic, and Matt Rotundo. Special thanks to Andy Uttley for the theme music.