For ASEAN CIOs in 2026, the AI paradox is clear: budgets are rising, yet financial returns are not. With almost half the region scaling AI beyond pilots, we have hit a "data wall". The shift to agentic AI has made integration the new control plane. To move from ambition to monetisation, leaders must stop managing data in silos and start activating it in real-time across finance, supply chains, and customer systems. Without a unified data fabric that ensures governance and trust, autonomous agents cannot operate safely at scale. Data activation is no longer an IT project; it is the core strategy for turning AI spend into EBIT.Joining us to clear the cobwebs of this data wall, is Mr David Irecki, chief technology officer for Asia Pacific & Japan at Boomi.David, welcome back to PodChats for FutureCIO.1. Boomi cites an interesting statistic: 95% of organisations struggle with AI ROI, yet you argue the models are ready. Where are ASEAN CIOs getting stuck—and why are data quality and integration now the real villains, not the AI? (Singaproe report)2. Beyond lakes and dashboards, what does "data activation" mean in practice? How do we put live, trusted data into the flows AI agents rely on?3. As Agentic AI explodes in 2026, why should CIOs see APIs and integration as the new "control plane" for security, privacy, and sovereign AI?4. According to Boomi, with 90% of staff using AI informally, how do we enforce data governance without killing speed? Can the integration layer automate policy enforcement?5. Define data debt. How do we build a business case for killing "data debt" and moving from brittle scripts to reusable, AI-ready integrations?6. According to Salesforce, 96% of CIOs say success hinges on integrating AI into the flow of everyday work. Where do ASEAN CIOs see the fastest payback for data activation—finance, supply chain, or customer service?7. How does activating data for a swarm of autonomous agents differ from powering a simple chatbot? How do we make different vendors' agents talk to each other?8. If Asia has hit a data wall, what are the three non-negotiables for CIOs to turn AI spend into EBIT (Earnings Before Interest and Taxes) by 2026?9. Takeway for CIO to get their CIO initiatives from delivering disappointing results to powering the business innovations?

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