In today’s work-from-anywhere environment, conversational AI improves corporate culture and efficiency by simplifying data analysis and untethering employees from their keyboards and screens. Pairing natural language generation (NLG) technology, a form of artificial intelligence (AI) with smart voice assistants like Alexa for Business, with Tableau, Power BI, or other leading business intelligence platforms, eliminates complexity and democratizes data understanding.
Q2 2021 hedge fund letters, conferences and more
Conversational AI communicates structured data as voice and/or written responses that enable better, faster, more informed decision-making. With natural language query and NLG, voice interfaces like Alexa for Business can be configured to automatically contextualize responses, delivering actionable intelligence on-demand in language everyone can understand.
Think about it like this: The term ‘conversation’ implies an interactive exchange between multiple parties. To participate in a conversation, each participant must have a voice, and for business intelligence platforms, NLG is the AI that gives your data the gift of gab.
NLG tells a story based on all available underlying structured data, adding accuracy and context that convey comprehensive and actionable insights.
Just as consumers’ comfort level having conversations with voice assistants like Alexa that leverage artificial intelligence has spiked in recent years, it makes sense that we’re seeing businesses use conversational AI too. Forrester Vice President and Principal Analyst, Boris Evelson explained that enterprise BI is thriving as a result of artificial intelligence’s ability to provide actionable intelligence from data in formats more consumable than traditional dashboard visuals and graphical interfaces.
“Business intelligence tools that are, “Natural-language-based and conversational,” wrote Evelson, “will achieve greater adoption in the enterprise. More business users (all end users, not just data or business analysts) will be able to benefit from BI via natural conversational interaction/UX.”
Voice AI platforms like Arria Answers exemplify what Everton describes as a natural extension of embedded BI – tools which enable business users to turn insights into actions directly from the business or productivity application in which they’re working. For Tableau or Microsoft Power BI users, NLG-powered conversational AI lets users have legitimate, multi-turn conversations with their data. Instead of relying on charts and diagrams, employees get plain-English responses to initial queries as well as follow-ups, in context.
What this means is that your dialogue goes beyond one question, so you don’t have to keep repeating trigger words, like “Alexa,” or “Ok Google. “If reading is fundamental (remember RIF?), data literacy is critical. Because as impressive as data visuals are, 2-dimensional charts and graphs can be ambiguous without complementary explanations – especially for those of us without backgrounds in data science.
NLG helps machines analyze all underlying data in your business intelligence platform, instantly producing answers you won’t need a Ph.D. in computational linguistics to understand. This type of self-service access to analytics extends data literacy across the entire organization.
A Recap And Key Business Benefits
In today’s work-from-anywhere environment, voice AI improves corporate culture and efficiency by simplifying data analysis and untethering employees from their keyboards and screens. Pairing NLG-powered, conversational AI with Tableau, Power BI, or other leading business intelligence platforms, eliminates complexity and democratizes data understanding.
NLG tells a story based on all available underlying structured data, adding accuracy and context that convey comprehensive and actionable insights.
Answers On-Demand
The conversational interface gives the user the freedom to access their insights in situations where access via a traditional dashboard or keyboard is difficult, like driving your car, attending a board meeting or visiting the warehouse.
Democratizing Data Understanding
Data storytelling allows high adoption for users who are not technical. The ad hoc conversational format allows users to freely interrogate their data without the help of experts.
Sans-Complexity
Low-code (or zero code) applications and APIs have drastically reduced the challenges from having to manage additional architecture layers, bespoke governance, and oversight by internal IT teams.
Simply put, you don’t have to be a data analyst to get the answers you need, when you need them.
Insights To Action
NLG automatically analyzes entire structured datasets – from end-to-end – underlying business intelligence dashboards, creating knowledge-driven narratives that provide a significant competitive advantage.
Conclusion
With natural language technologies, conversational AI gives your data the voice it needs to answer all your questions.
