What We’re Missing About AI Agents | Nate Nichols, Head of GenAI at Tableau

Nate Nichols, an early builder in machine-generated content and now a product leader shaping “agentic” analytics, joins host Ryan Kurt for a candid conversation on how generative AI evolved, what we gained, and what we risk losing along the way.We also dive into:How early AI systems differed from today’s agentic models and why that mattersWhy many modern AI breakthroughs were discovered, not deliberately designedAI as a clarity engine: structuring messy thinking into plans, writing, and decisionsThe risks of optimizing AI for engagement and uncomfortable parallels to social mediaWhere agentic AI creates real value today, and where caution is warrantedGuest Bio: Dr. Nate Nichols is a product leader focused on generative and agentic AI for analytics. He previously spent over a decade building machine-generated content and data storytelling systems, and he earned his PhD in Artificial Intelligence from Northwestern University, where his research centered on machine-generated content.Resources → Connect with Nate on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nate-nichols/