Responsible and Inclusive AI Innovation in Analytics with Mary Kern and Rumman Chowdhury

In this interview from Tech Field Day Experience at Qlik Connect 2025, Stephen Foskett interviews Mary Kern, VP of Analytics Go-To-Market at Qlik, and Rumman Chowdhury, CEO of Humane Intelligence and a Qlik AI Council member, about the state of AI in today’s analytics landscape. They discuss the paradoxes of 2025, where the rise of powerful centralized AI platforms coincides with a growing open-source movement, enabling wider global access. Rumman highlights the democratizing force of open-source AI, underscoring how inclusive engagement and grassroots participation are essential for future innovation. Mary adds that while AI promises efficiency and transformation, enterprises continue to grapple with responsible implementation and trust in these evolving technologies.

As both leaders emphasize, AI’s impact is most meaningful when it enhances accessibility, enabling users across varying skill levels and geographies to engage with analytics tools more intuitively. Language models acting as user interfaces make complex tools more approachable, especially for users without technical backgrounds or those with disabilities. By leveraging natural language processing and multi-language support, AI can elevate users’ performance and confidence in decision-making, making business intelligence more powerful and human-centric across cultures. Mary notes that the future of analytics isn’t about AI replacing humans but about enabling broader, better performance powered by data-driven insights.

The conversation also delves into the cultural nuances of AI deployment globally. Rumman raises concerns about bias in AI models when applied across different societies and languages. She explains the importance of culturally aware AI, citing her organization’s joint work with ASEAN to rigorously test models for multicultural bias. Mary reflects on how Qlik builds diverse perspectives into their development process, ensuring AI models are not only useful but trustworthy and aligned with enterprise needs. This intentional approach—with baked-in trust, bias monitoring, and global sensitivity—demonstrates Qlik’s commitment to responsible AI integration in analytics at scale.