In a recent fireside chat, Evan Kaplan, CEO of InfluxData, discussed the role of time series data and AI in industry and its future. He emphasized that all software will incorporate AI going forward, making it a necessity rather than an option. Kaplan highlighted the significance of real-world AI, which makes physical world things smarter, more effective, and more autonomous. InfluxDB provides crucial infrastructure to those who develop AI models, but does not provide the AI itself. The integration of AI and time series data is critical for future real-world applications like self-driving cars or robotics, and companies cannot afford to ignore this. Kaplan outlined the future direction of InfluxDB in providing a foundational layer for AI solutions, enabling users to build their AI models based on the data stored within InfluxDB.