Intro to Databricks AI/BI Genies

Presentation Summary: As AI becomes more integral to data-driven organizations, Databricks AI/BI Genies offer a powerful and approachable way to put AI into the hands of your Business Intelligence, Data Science, and Data Engineering teams—without needing to reinvent your data stack. This talk explores what Genies are, how they fit into the modern Data & AI landscape, and why they matter to your data teams and ultimately to your business. We’ll walk through how simple it is to get started with AI/BI Genies in Databricks, what it takes to fine-tune them, and how to design data assets that align with an AI-first, user-first strategy. You’ll learn best practices for maximizing Genie effectiveness and hear how teams can shift from reactive data delivery to proactive, conversational data access. By the end of this session, you’ll see how Genies can reduce dependency on technical bottlenecks, empower your users to get answers when they need them, and increase the overall velocity of data-informed decision-making across your organization. Speaker’s Bio: Angel Abundez is driving innovation at the intersection of cloud, data, and AI. I lead high-impact teams solving real-world problems — from optimizing building performance to pioneering AI functions in Databricks. Passionate about mentorship, storytelling, and turning vision into value. On the side, I coach youth soccer and explore digital photography, where leadership, precision, and heart also take the spotlight. About the Portland Azure User Group: The Portland Azure User Group is a community of people excited about the endless possibilities of cloud computing, data analytics, and security on Microsoft Azure. We believe the Azure platform offers rich possibilities. We keep pace by sharing our learning and doing deep-dive explorations of topics as a community of learners. We run the gamut from new to experienced users and welcome anyone who shares an interest in cloud scalable infrastructure, applications, tools, analytics, identity management, and security. Some great perks to joining our monthly meetups are networking, knowledge transfer, and community building. We aim to foster a vibrant community that shares success in implementing best practices for Microsoft Azure. You can join the community here: https://www.meetup.com/portland-azure...