The Impact of AI on the Data Analyst

The introduction of AI, automation and data storytelling to the world of analytics has not only had an immediate impact on the end users of analytics but also the people that work in the field. While many analysts may fear they will be replaced by automation and AI, CEO of Yellowfin, Glen Rabie, believes that the role of the data analyst will increase in significance to the business and breadth of skills required.

What has always been a hands-on, manual task requiring repetitive data preparation, dashboard building, hunting for insights is being transformed. But does this leave less for the analyst to do?

Glen Rabie spoke to insideBIGDATA about the future of the analyst’s role and where the analysts’ opportunities lie.  

The future of BI and analytics platforms is to automate more and more of the analysts tasks. With a shortage of data scientists and more data arriving faster than ever before - which is only going to increase in volume, velocity, and variety - businesses see automation as a huge advantage. Machines also don’t tire of mundane work like humans, so can work faster and more efficiently on ever larger datasets. And machines aren’t inherently biased in their hunt for insights.

This means the future analyst won’t be tied to manual tasks and they will have more time on their hands to deliver value now that much is automated. And they still have a critical role. So how will they add new value and what skills will they need to be analysts in the age of automation?

Read Glen Rabie’s article on insideBIGDATA to find out what the new role of the analyst will be in the age of AI, machine learning, and automation.