Your AI Strategy Is Only as Good as Your Data Layer

Jeff Lunsford, CEO of Tealium, says that as enterprises rush to deploy agentic AI, batch processing and siloed systems won’t cut it: AI strategy lives or dies on the quality — and speed — of your data. In this episode, we explore what a true real-time data layer looks like, why most companies are underutilizing their marketing tech, and how brands must prepare for a world where AI agents — not humans — are initiating customer interactions. From identity tokens and authentication to agent-to-agent negotiation, we look at what’s coming next and what that means for marketers.

Episode 49 of the Decoding AI for Marketing podcast, hosted by Greg Stuart, Rex Briggs, Jeff Lunsford, titled "Your AI Strategy Is Only as Good as Your Data Layer" was published on February 24, 2026 and runs 39 minutes.

February 24, 2026 ·39m · Decoding AI for Marketing

Summary

Jeff Lunsford, CEO of Tealium, says that as enterprises rush to deploy agentic AI, batch processing and siloed systems won’t cut it: AI strategy lives or dies on the quality — and speed — of your data. In this episode, we explore what a true real-time data layer looks like, why most companies are underutilizing their marketing tech, and how brands must prepare for a world where AI agents — not humans — are initiating customer interactions. From identity tokens and authentication to agent-to-agent negotiation, we look at what’s coming next and what that means for marketers.

Episode Description