In a world where data is everywhere, businesses have long understood the importance of using data to inform strategic decisions. Business Intelligence (BI) has dominated this scene for decades, offering tools for collecting, structuring, and visualizing data. But a new era is beginning with artificial intelligence (AI), which is transforming not only how data is analyzed, but also how businesses make decisions. AI is not just an evolution of BI: it is a revolution. Here's why.
Traditional BI focuses on descriptive analysis. It allows organizations to answer questions such as: “What happened?” or “Why did this happen?” While this information is useful, it is often retrospective.
AI, on the other hand, makes it possible to go further by adding a predictive and prescriptive layer. With machine learning algorithms, businesses can anticipate trends, identify hidden opportunities, and even receive automated recommendations. For example, rather than seeing a drop in sales after the fact, AI can predict the drop before it occurs and offer concrete actions to avoid it.
One of the biggest challenges in traditional BI is the time it takes to set up dashboards, data models, and analytics. These tasks often require technical expertise and numerous iterations between business teams and analysts.
With AI, analytics automation is becoming a reality. AI models can automatically detect anomalies, identify relevant correlations, and generate instant reports. This allows teams to focus on strategy rather than building relationships.
Historically, BI was mainly used by analysts trained in specific tools. Non-technical teams, while having access to dashboards, often had to ask for help with complex analyses.
Today, thanks to AI, data analysis is accessible to a greater number of people. Conversational interfaces and AI-powered virtual assistants allow any employee to ask questions in natural language (“How did our last campaign perform?”) and to get immediate answers, without advanced technical skills.
In a business environment where conditions change rapidly, traditional BI can be limited by its rigid framework. Adjustments to data models or visualizations often take time, reducing business agility in the face of unexpected situations.
AI offers unparalleled agility. By integrating data flows in real time, it allows continuous and evolving analyses. This is particularly valuable in sectors such as logistics or finance, where decisions often have to be made within a few minutes.
BI is mostly based on fixed rules and preconfigured analytics, which means it can miss weak signals or changing contexts.
AI, on the other hand, excels in contextual analysis. It is able to understand the nuances of data, adapt its analyses according to context, and integrate multiple sources (such as social networks, IoT sensors, or internal databases) to provide a rich overview.
With the automation and precision that AI offers, businesses are seeing a much faster return on investment. Teams spend less time on repetitive tasks and get more actionable insights, resulting in direct performance improvements.
To say that AI is the new BI is not simply saying that the technology is evolving; it is recognizing a paradigm shift. Where BI stops at visualizing data, AI acts as an additional brain, capable of analyzing, predicting, and even guiding decisions.
For businesses that want to remain competitive, integrating AI into their data analysis strategy is no longer an option: it's a necessity. It does not replace traditional BI but transcends it, offering organizations unprecedented power to exploit their data strategically.
jonathan
CEO - AI Strategist
jonathan.delmas@strat37.com
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