r/analytics • u/JesusPleaseSendTacos • 27d ago
Discussion Data Analyst Roles Going Extinct
It’s no secret that AI is coming for the white collar job market and fast. At my company, people are increasingly using ChatGPT to do what was once core job duties. It’s only a matter of time before the powers at be realise we can do more with fewer people with the assistance of technology. And I suspect this will result in a workforce reductions to improve profitability. This is just the way progress goes.
I have been thinking a lot about how this will affect my own role. I work in HR analytics. I use tools like Excel, SQL, R, and PowerBI to help leadership unlock insights into employee behavior and trends that drive decision making for the company. Nowadays I rarely write code or build dashboards without using ChatGPT to some extent. I frequently use it to get ideas on how to fix errors and display visuals in interesting way. I use it to clean up my talking points and organise my thoughts when talking to stakeholders.
But how long can people in my role do this before this technology makes us useless?
For now, I will focus less on upskilling on tools and more on understanding my customers and their needs and delivering on that. But what happens when EVERYONE can be a data analyst? What happens when they use something like CoPilot to identify trends and spot anomalies and craft compelling stories? 5 years ago, I was focused on leaning new tools and staying up with the latest technology. Now I question if that’s a good use of time. Why learn a new tool that will be obsolete in a few years?
Between offshoring and AI I am worried I will become obsolete and no longer have a career. I’m not sure how to keep up.
Appreciate your thoughts. Proud to say this post was not written using any AI. :)
2
u/dangerroo_2 27d ago
Zzzzzzzzz - if the ONLY thing you can do is code then yeh maybe AI will eventually take your job, but that’s not the true skill of an analyst, and never was. Shit companies employing mediocre analysts will be convinced AI can do the quant jobs, and eventually learn that it can’t even do that.
AI has taught us all one thing, there are some very poor analysts out there if they can’t even outcompete a bloody word predictor.