AI is transforming data-driven businesses by shifting focus from mere data insights to building intelligent systems capable of understanding and acting in real time, as highlighted at the Current New Orleans event. Major themes included the importance of context data and real-time streaming for AI, with Confluent announcing several new products and partnerships, such as the Confluent Intelligence platform and collaborations with Salesforce. Keynote speakers emphasized that while organizations may not control foundational AI models, they can manage the context data feeding these models, which is crucial for enhancing system performance from demonstration to production-ready. Notable sessions included insights from companies like Marriott and Metronome on how real-time data streaming has revolutionized their operations, enabling personalized customer experiences and efficient infrastructure development. The event also explored how modern data architectures, leveraging technologies like Apache Kafka and Flink, are essential for evolving AI applications and maintaining data integrity across organizations, with a focus on building systems ready for future challenges.