Why AI is a game-changer for data analysis

- [Presenter] Hey there. In this video, we're going to be talking about why every person who's building a data career needs to be learning AI tools. The world is changing fast. AI tools like ChatGPT, Google Bard, and others are just allowing people to do things that were really complicated and took lots of time in now, a matter of minutes, sometimes even seconds. This technology is a total game changer. And right now, it's only in its infancy so some things it's really good at, some things it's kind of just okay at, some things it's having trouble with, but it's going to keep getting better and better. So here are just some of the reasons that every data pro should be learning to use AI tools. First, you want to improve your performance and efficiency, leverage these tools to do things faster. You can automate routine, low-value tasks so that you can spend more time on the higher value add activities that you can bring to the table. You can use AI as an easy way to check your work. It can be a code buddy. It can help think through your analysis. You can leverage it for your learning and answering quick-pointed questions. And learning about these tools will help you stay on the cutting edge and keep you competitive in your field. So let's talk about whether your job as a data analyst is at risk. This is something a lot of people are very concerned about right now with AI. AI is not going to replace you. Don't worry. The fears about this happening are totally overblown. Companies are always going to need human talent. They're always going to need that intuition. The thing to understand is that the skills required to be an effective analyst are going to shift. We call these three core skills the analytics trifecta: strategic thinking, technical proficiency, and communication skills. This is what separates a good analyst from one that's truly great, a real 10X analyst that can help take an organization to the next level. Technical proficiency right here, this is where AI really adds a lot of value. It's a tool that will help things happen more efficiently. It can fill technical skills gaps. So it's definitely going to help here, especially over time as the tools get better, but it's really going to struggle with strategic thinking and communication skills. So since AI can help with the technical gaps, analysts who have this amazing strategic thinking ability and who are great with communicating with their organization, effectively telling a story with data, and advocating for change that's really going to impact the business based on the data they're finding, that's going to be the special sauce that you can use and pair it with technical proficiency aided by AI tools to be an amazing analyst that every company is going to value. You need to learn these tools to stay competitive. While an AI is not going to take your job, someone else might. That could be someone else who's learning AI and staying on the cutting edge of these technical developments. So you need to make sure that you're doing it yourself. Imagine being a data analyst today who had never learned spreadsheets or how to use the internet. We're likely going to be saying the same thing about ChatGPT and other AI tools in the near future. The time to learn this stuff is now. And this is just the next flavor of the same theme we've seen forever. The key to building a long-term successful career in data is the same as it's ever been: building a strong foundational skillset, getting great at strategic thinking, getting great with communicating and advocating for change that will help drive an organization forward, and then keeping your skills sharp and embracing and adapting to the change that's coming about. This is just the most recent tool. There have been others before it like Tableau and Power BI coming in and becoming a very valuable skillset for the data world. There will be other tools in the future. As long as you have that strong foundation, can think critically about a business, problem solve, communicate with others, and you keep learning the technical skills as they come up, you're going to have a great career and you'll be talent that every business will value.