Past is Prologue: How Conversational Analytics Is Changing Data Work

Generative AI is poised to transform data analytics by moving beyond static dashboards to a new paradigm of conversational analytics. This approach allows users to ask questions directly and receive context-aware insights and actionable recommendations. The role of the data professional will shift from building reports to managing AI, focusing on prompt engineering, providing business context, and verifying the accuracy of AI-generated outputs. Success in this new era requires a return to foundational data practices, such as clear documentation of metrics and dimensions, to provide the necessary guardrails for the AI. A thoughtful, phased implementation is advocated to avoid pitfalls and ensure the company's value proposition is encoded into the AI's design.