AI for Business Analysts Part 2

 AI for Business Analysts: Essential Tools and Skills to Start Using Artificial Intelligence

Now that you understand the potential of Artificial Intelligence for business analysts, it’s time to take the next step: how to start applying AI in your daily work? The good news is that there are many accessible tools and skills you can develop, even without being a tech expert.

The first step is to identify where AI can add the most value within your workflow. Some of the most common applications include automating reports, generating predictive insights, analyzing customer behavior, and even suggesting data-driven decisions based on historical data.

Among the most used tools by business analysts are platforms like Power BI (with integrated predictive models), Tableau with built-in AI, Google AutoML, Microsoft Azure Machine Learning, and IBM Watson. Additionally, automation tools like Alteryx and KNIME allow you to create AI-powered data workflows without writing a single line of code.

Another powerful category is generative AI assistants. Platforms like ChatGPT and Claude AI are being used to summarize data, generate technical explanations, structure presentations, and even create analysis prototypes based on simple prompts.

But knowing the tools is as important as developing the right soft and hard skills. Business analysts who want to stand out in this new landscape need to understand the basics of data science, be able to interpret machine learning models (even if they don’t build them from scratch), master data visualization, and most importantly, have critical thinking driven by data.

The key is to start small. Choose a project or challenge in your current work that could be accelerated or improved with AI support. Test a tool, learn from mistakes, and gradually expand your skillset.

Digital transformation won’t wait, and analysts who can combine strategic thinking with artificial intelligence will lead the way. The good news? You don’t need to know how to code or become a data scientist. You just need the willingness to learn.

Want to see a practical example of how to apply AI in a real-world business analysis project? We’ll show you in Part 3. Link coming soon.