#31: Building an AI Data Engineer for Lifecycle Marketers - What Can an AI Data Agent Actually Do for Lifecycle Marketing - Ishan Rakshit (Co-founder @ Sortment | Forbes 30u30)

This episode explores how AI data agents promise to unlock speed, autonomy, and strategic clarity that lifecycle marketing teams have been waiting for — by removing their biggest blocker: access to usable, contextual data.

Through a conversation with Ishan Rakshit (Co-founder @ Sortment), we dive into how AI is shifting from being a creative assistant to becoming a deeply integrated data teammate — helping CRM teams move from ticket requests to instant, insight-driven execution.

I honestly feel this is one of the most insightful episode of my podcast so far. Some of the key topics we discussed here:

• Why does personalization still feel broken in 2025?: A honest look at why lifecycle marketing hasn’t evolved fast enough — and what’s kept us stuck.
• How AI is changing the way CRM professionals think — not just how fast they move. What are the AI native use-cases for lifecycle marketers?: Things that weren't possible until we had this technology. AI enables teams to ask more questions, explore more strategies, and think out loud without friction.
• What can an AI data agent actually do?: Real examples: from asking vague brainstorming prompts to deploying live segments into your ESP — in minutes, not weeks.
• Why the future marketing tech stack will be built around your data warehouse — not your ESP": A must-hear for Heads of CRM and Growth Leaders thinking about the next 12–24 months of their CRM & Martech tooling.
• "How to get your team (and data team) ready for AI-first workflows": Tangible advice on change management, adoption blockers, and the mindset shifts required to truly benefit from AI tools.

You can check out Sortment here.