This article argues that data teams should transition to context engineering, integrating data governance, engineering, and science to create reliable knowledge sources for AI agents. It highlights the need for a structured context stack to ensure accurate answers and effective performance from these agents.

The article discusses the challenges and strategies of agentic data modeling in analytics, emphasizing the need for three key pillars: semantics for understanding, speed for rapid verification, and stewardship for governance. By integrating these elements, businesses can effectively leverage AI agents to enhance data insights while maintaining accuracy and trust.

Experimenting with a swarm of 20 AI agents led to the development of a production-ready analytics platform in just one week. The author outlines eight rules learned from this experience, emphasizing a shift from linear coding to parallel workflows and the importance of providing context through voice-to-text communication.

The article discusses the challenges faced when developing the Notebook Agent for analytics in Hex, highlighting the differences between coding agents and analytics agents in context management. It emphasizes that while code can be summarized effectively, data requires direct observation to identify patterns, leading to the need for innovative context engineering strategies that allow AI agents to navigate complex data environments efficiently.