AI in Your Career: Sidekick, Hero, or Villain?

AI is showing up everywhere in the data world—but whether it feels like a helpful sidekick, a powerful hero, or a looming villain depends a lot on your role, your skills, and the choices you make.

In this panel discussion led by Brent Ozar, experienced data professionals share honest, real-world perspectives on how AI is changing careers for DBAs, analysts, engineers, and managers. Panelists will explain how they decide which tasks to delegate to AI, where human judgment still matters most, and how the impact of AI differs depending on seniority and responsibility. You’ll also hear how they spot early warning signs that a role is becoming overly automated—and what they do next when they see those signals.

The discussion will also look backward as well as forward, with panelists sharing what they would learn first if they were starting their careers today, knowing what they now know about AI. Throughout the session, the goal is not to predict the future, but to help you make better decisions right now.

By the end, you’ll walk away with a practical mindset for intentionally casting AI in your own career story—choosing when it should act as a sidekick, when it deserves to be the hero, and when to treat it like a villain that needs to be kept in check.

Learn how panelists evaluate which tasks to delegate to AI Why AI changes career paths differently for DBAs, analysts, engineers, and managers How to spot early warning signs that your role is becoming overly automated What panelists would learn today if they were starting their careers again Walk away with a mindset for intentionally casting AI as a sidekick, hero, or villain in your own story