**The Future of Work: How AI is Changing Data Professionals' Roles**

As we move forward in this rapidly evolving landscape, it's essential to acknowledge that the role of data professionals will undergo significant changes. With the increasing adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), the line between human and machine capabilities is becoming increasingly blurred.

**Beyond Two to Three Years: The Risk of Obsolescence**

According to industry experts, if you're not willing to adapt and evolve within a short span of two to three years, you'll likely find yourself replaced by AI or someone who's more forward-thinking and embracing new technology. This sentiment is echoed by those working in data, where AI is being used to automate tasks, analyze vast amounts of information, and make predictions.

**From SQL to Excel: The Evolving Skillset**

One former student, Richie, shares a personal anecdote about trading their SQL certification for an Excel Guru title. With the rapid advancement of technology, this individual has had to adapt their skill set to remain relevant. Similarly, many data professionals are finding that they need to be proficient in multiple tools and technologies, rather than specializing in one area.

**The Rise of AI Prompt Engineering**

A crucial aspect of embracing AI is understanding its limitations and potential biases. According to industry experts, it's essential for data professionals to become "professional AI prompt engineers." This means being able to design effective prompts that elicit accurate responses from AI systems. With the increasing reliance on AI tools, users will be coming to data professionals with questions about their prompts, seeking guidance on how to optimize their results.

**Focusing on AI Augmentation Rather than Replacement**

Rather than fearing obsolescence, data professionals should focus on leveraging AI to augment their own skills and productivity. This involves being aware of the potential pitfalls of relying too heavily on AI and learning to critically evaluate its outputs. By embracing this mindset shift, individuals can unlock new levels of efficiency and effectiveness in their work.

**The Importance of Valid Links**

A critical aspect of working with AI is being able to verify the credibility of information it provides. Many people underestimate the potential for AI-generated content to be inaccurate or misleading. As a result, it's essential to request links or credible sources to support any claims made by AI systems. This not only ensures accuracy but also fosters a culture of transparency and accountability.

**Embracing the Flipped Approach**

The ideal approach for data professionals involves striking a balance between human intuition and AI-driven insights. Rather than relying solely on code, individuals should focus on developing their analytical skills and learning to effectively integrate AI tools into their workflows. This "flipped" approach recognizes that AI is a powerful tool, but also acknowledges the importance of human judgment and expertise.

**The Future of Data Analysis**

As we move forward, it's clear that data analysis will become increasingly sophisticated and reliant on AI-driven insights. Rather than viewing AI as a threat to our profession, we should be embracing its potential to augment and enhance our work. By doing so, we can unlock new levels of efficiency, accuracy, and innovation in the field of data analysis.

**The Power of AI-Driven Insights**

AI has access to vast amounts of data that human professionals simply cannot match. This is particularly true when it comes to tasks such as analyzing complex datasets, identifying patterns, and making predictions. By leveraging these capabilities, individuals can unlock new levels of insights and understanding, leading to more effective decision-making and problem-solving.

**Avoiding AI-Generated Fabrications**

Unfortunately, many people underestimate the potential for AI-generated content to be inaccurate or misleading. As a result, it's essential to develop critical thinking skills and learn to verify the credibility of information provided by AI systems. This not only ensures accuracy but also fosters a culture of transparency and accountability.

**The Need for Education and Training**

As we move forward, it's clear that education and training will play a critical role in helping data professionals adapt to this rapidly changing landscape. Rather than viewing AI as a threat, we should be embracing its potential to enhance our skills and productivity. By doing so, we can unlock new levels of efficiency, accuracy, and innovation in the field of data analysis.

**The Importance of Continuous Learning**

Continuous learning is essential for anyone working in data, particularly when it comes to staying up-to-date with the latest developments in AI and machine learning. By embracing this mindset, individuals can stay ahead of the curve and remain relevant in an increasingly competitive job market.

In conclusion, the future of work for data professionals is rapidly evolving, driven by the increasing adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). Rather than viewing AI as a threat to our profession, we should be embracing its potential to augment and enhance our work. By developing new skills, focusing on AI augmentation rather than replacement, and staying up-to-date with the latest developments in AI, individuals can unlock new levels of efficiency, accuracy, and innovation in the field of data analysis.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enit seems like there's two camps here there's like some people think AI is going to make us all more prod productive and then we're going to live happily ever after and some people think that AI is just going to steal our jobs be better than humans at doing everything so where do you fall into the into this spectrum so first and foremost I just need to be very transparent that even though I'm a millennial I think chat gbt is revolutionary case and point in my recent doctor visit I just uploaded my test results I asked questions and then I said a month later listen to my doctor tell me everything chubbt said and then I also had asked chubbt what to ask my doctor and then I told it answer me and I asked my doctor those questions so full transparency needless to say I just put my life up in there every contract I have my mortgage I'm like I got questions so I might be a little bit different a lot of Millennials but with that said even though I do believe in AI I I really think that people who are smart are looking as at AI as a productivity hack and that's how I use it right so I'm Not Afraid about AI taking over my job or my roles or people's roles I'm consistently telling our students and our teams here's how to use AI to to get back time you know the things that some of these things that you've been doing that have been taking days hours things like what kpis are very similar for your metrics or what's the best chart for this or how should I draft this story dude AI like you know and it's not that you should get lazy like one of the fundamental things that I'm afraid with AI is that critical thinking is going to decline tremendously because you have this machine to think for you but there's so much things that you could use AI as an accelerator for to do much more than you could have within a eight hour work day I see it as an accelerator for those people who are willing to literally have sit down and think what are the things that I'm doing that I'm not very good at and what are things I'm spending time on that I could use some help on I think if you make those lists in your job and you throw it into something like chat TBT or one these AI bot you're going to realize that you can significantly reduce time produce a better product and then focus on the things that only you can do that's interesting it seems like there's a difference then in like people where there like I never have time for everything there's always more that I could be doing and then AI is something that's completely necessary to help you be more productive but if you're already like you know I do my job and that takes me 40 hours a week and then I'm done uh and I don't need to think about anymore then maybe that's the sort of job where you're going to be more at risk yeah so you're gonna be replaced very blunt you will be replaced just be candid so your days are numbered if that is your mentality you already a dinosaur you're agent on the company's Tab and you're going to be replaced so I just so I don't have a candid way to put that like if you know and hopefully if you're honestly if you're turn retirement age and you're just hey I just need to live out my last three years it's fine but I think Beyond two to three years if you have that mentality it's either time to find a new job go the entrepreneurial route or do something else because you are literally going to be replaced and not even by a machine you're going to be replaced by someone who's Forward Thinking and Embraces new tech okay that's true um and so for people who are working in data how do you think that um J AI or AI more broadly is going to be used is going to change people's roles oh my gosh so I have to tell you a secret I one of the first certifications I had in college was SQL certification Richie and like I was bad I was I mean in a good way I could do SQL I could fast forward to where I am right now without age of myself I don't remember nothing but a if and Clause like I don't I mean I'm an Excel Guru at this point right so I've traded my SQL hat for Excel I go into chat DVT and I'm like I need the SQL statement and I said and also here's what I want to do and it just pops out you know like I go in and I'm like python like I need to get this done you see how I'm smiling it just pops out I go in and I go I need this script and here's what I needed to do and I need this short and explain to me why you're doing this because I don't understand what the hell you wrote and it still comes out and it works and so I think that um with regards to data people Beyond code I could tell people what I use it for and what I teach my students to use it for we use it for everything from you know one of the common questions for instance that we get from companies is I specialize in for instance kpi and goals and a lot of times companies will say stuff like hey what are other kpis or metrics companies are using hi what are other companies and metrics you know like I like I I know it sounds lazy but like anytime I get questions that require me going to Google I just go to AI first anytime I I am struggling with something and I feel like I'm stuck and I need an additional perspective go to AI first you know so I think that from a data perspective again really take a look at the things that you're spending time on I think that fundamentally our jobs are not just going to change in terms of productivity but I've said this on a few different podcasts recently and I said if you're in a data field you have to understand you're eventually going to become a professional AI prompt engineer and what do I mean by that we are going to head to the stage where users are going to be coming to you at all stages whether you're a data engineer data analyst whatever profession you're in and say hey my prompt isn't working you know I'm not getting the right chart to develop like I you know what I mean like they're going to be coming to you saying what's wrong with my prompt because every data tool we have now has a AI button in it and you better believe that users are going oh that's for me I don't know what I'm doing but I'm going to go in and try and so I I really think that to get ahead of that curve data professionals themselves need to become prompt specialists that's where I think this is heading that's interesting that um think um you should be doing everything AI first rather than like I'm not going to write the code myself I'm gonna ask AI to do it and then maybe fix it and then also you just got to be like focusing on like how do I get the best results out of AI rather than how do I um do the best work myself and then maybe get AI to augment it so it's a kind of flipped approach I recommend both if you're a do-it-yourself person put the thought process into it I have stuff I do and I put my heart into it I still go to Ai and ask it I go give me some case studies take a look at this what am I missing like I ask it Gap analysis questions what perspective am I missing give me some studies like is there a Gap in my analysis you know so even if you do a good body of work I'm not not recommended that I'm saying that AI has access to so much data it's a great sound bite now the caveat to that is that AI lies a lot of people don't realize that so if you're asking AI for quotes and stuff it just fabric stuff so make sure you ask it to give you valid links a lot of people like they're they are lawyers who are heading to jail for perjury because they AI fabricated cases so just be very careful when you ask a quotes and stuff and say tell me who said it and give me a link because AI does lieit seems like there's two camps here there's like some people think AI is going to make us all more prod productive and then we're going to live happily ever after and some people think that AI is just going to steal our jobs be better than humans at doing everything so where do you fall into the into this spectrum so first and foremost I just need to be very transparent that even though I'm a millennial I think chat gbt is revolutionary case and point in my recent doctor visit I just uploaded my test results I asked questions and then I said a month later listen to my doctor tell me everything chubbt said and then I also had asked chubbt what to ask my doctor and then I told it answer me and I asked my doctor those questions so full transparency needless to say I just put my life up in there every contract I have my mortgage I'm like I got questions so I might be a little bit different a lot of Millennials but with that said even though I do believe in AI I I really think that people who are smart are looking as at AI as a productivity hack and that's how I use it right so I'm Not Afraid about AI taking over my job or my roles or people's roles I'm consistently telling our students and our teams here's how to use AI to to get back time you know the things that some of these things that you've been doing that have been taking days hours things like what kpis are very similar for your metrics or what's the best chart for this or how should I draft this story dude AI like you know and it's not that you should get lazy like one of the fundamental things that I'm afraid with AI is that critical thinking is going to decline tremendously because you have this machine to think for you but there's so much things that you could use AI as an accelerator for to do much more than you could have within a eight hour work day I see it as an accelerator for those people who are willing to literally have sit down and think what are the things that I'm doing that I'm not very good at and what are things I'm spending time on that I could use some help on I think if you make those lists in your job and you throw it into something like chat TBT or one these AI bot you're going to realize that you can significantly reduce time produce a better product and then focus on the things that only you can do that's interesting it seems like there's a difference then in like people where there like I never have time for everything there's always more that I could be doing and then AI is something that's completely necessary to help you be more productive but if you're already like you know I do my job and that takes me 40 hours a week and then I'm done uh and I don't need to think about anymore then maybe that's the sort of job where you're going to be more at risk yeah so you're gonna be replaced very blunt you will be replaced just be candid so your days are numbered if that is your mentality you already a dinosaur you're agent on the company's Tab and you're going to be replaced so I just so I don't have a candid way to put that like if you know and hopefully if you're honestly if you're turn retirement age and you're just hey I just need to live out my last three years it's fine but I think Beyond two to three years if you have that mentality it's either time to find a new job go the entrepreneurial route or do something else because you are literally going to be replaced and not even by a machine you're going to be replaced by someone who's Forward Thinking and Embraces new tech okay that's true um and so for people who are working in data how do you think that um J AI or AI more broadly is going to be used is going to change people's roles oh my gosh so I have to tell you a secret I one of the first certifications I had in college was SQL certification Richie and like I was bad I was I mean in a good way I could do SQL I could fast forward to where I am right now without age of myself I don't remember nothing but a if and Clause like I don't I mean I'm an Excel Guru at this point right so I've traded my SQL hat for Excel I go into chat DVT and I'm like I need the SQL statement and I said and also here's what I want to do and it just pops out you know like I go in and I'm like python like I need to get this done you see how I'm smiling it just pops out I go in and I go I need this script and here's what I needed to do and I need this short and explain to me why you're doing this because I don't understand what the hell you wrote and it still comes out and it works and so I think that um with regards to data people Beyond code I could tell people what I use it for and what I teach my students to use it for we use it for everything from you know one of the common questions for instance that we get from companies is I specialize in for instance kpi and goals and a lot of times companies will say stuff like hey what are other kpis or metrics companies are using hi what are other companies and metrics you know like I like I I know it sounds lazy but like anytime I get questions that require me going to Google I just go to AI first anytime I I am struggling with something and I feel like I'm stuck and I need an additional perspective go to AI first you know so I think that from a data perspective again really take a look at the things that you're spending time on I think that fundamentally our jobs are not just going to change in terms of productivity but I've said this on a few different podcasts recently and I said if you're in a data field you have to understand you're eventually going to become a professional AI prompt engineer and what do I mean by that we are going to head to the stage where users are going to be coming to you at all stages whether you're a data engineer data analyst whatever profession you're in and say hey my prompt isn't working you know I'm not getting the right chart to develop like I you know what I mean like they're going to be coming to you saying what's wrong with my prompt because every data tool we have now has a AI button in it and you better believe that users are going oh that's for me I don't know what I'm doing but I'm going to go in and try and so I I really think that to get ahead of that curve data professionals themselves need to become prompt specialists that's where I think this is heading that's interesting that um think um you should be doing everything AI first rather than like I'm not going to write the code myself I'm gonna ask AI to do it and then maybe fix it and then also you just got to be like focusing on like how do I get the best results out of AI rather than how do I um do the best work myself and then maybe get AI to augment it so it's a kind of flipped approach I recommend both if you're a do-it-yourself person put the thought process into it I have stuff I do and I put my heart into it I still go to Ai and ask it I go give me some case studies take a look at this what am I missing like I ask it Gap analysis questions what perspective am I missing give me some studies like is there a Gap in my analysis you know so even if you do a good body of work I'm not not recommended that I'm saying that AI has access to so much data it's a great sound bite now the caveat to that is that AI lies a lot of people don't realize that so if you're asking AI for quotes and stuff it just fabric stuff so make sure you ask it to give you valid links a lot of people like they're they are lawyers who are heading to jail for perjury because they AI fabricated cases so just be very careful when you ask a quotes and stuff and say tell me who said it and give me a link because AI does lie\n"