Christian Kleinerman, Executive Vice President of Product at Snowflake, discusses the evolving landscape of data and AI during a fireside chat at the Snowflake Summit. Reflecting on his career from SQL Server development at Microsoft to managing infrastructure at YouTube, Kleinerman emphasizes the importance of using a product to understand its strengths and weaknesses fully. He acknowledges underestimating AI's impact, noting that the technology is more advanced than its current applications, and highlights the potential of AI in enterprise data management, especially concerning security and governance. Kleinerman also discusses Snowflake's strategic emphasis on data portability, openness with Iceberg, and the significance of partnerships to adapt to market needs. With the rapid advancement of AI, he remains cautious about making future predictions but sees significant opportunities in aligning AI developments with enterprise data needs. Additionally, he addresses customer concerns about AI model capacities and the impact of AI on employment, stressing the importance of balancing technological advancements with social considerations. Snowflake's cost management strategies and efforts to simplify infrastructure tasks are also discussed, alongside advice for startups to gain traction by leveraging clear use cases and aligning with Snowflake's sales strategies.