Michael Driscoll, Co-Founder and CEO of Rill Data, dives into the revolutionary impact of AI on business intelligence and data analytics. He talks about the shift from traditional dashboard tools to dynamic, AI-powered interfaces that enable deeper insights. The conversation also emphasizes the importance of a metrics-first approach and highlights advancements in data infrastructure, including open standards and real-time analytical databases. Driscoll discusses how AI agents are becoming primary users of data tools, reshaping the landscape for data professionals.
47:51
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
question_answer ANECDOTE
Natural Language BI Interaction
Mike Driscoll shares how a customer requested a natural language prompt for Rill dashboards to ask questions instead of clicking.
He spent time building an MCP server to enable querying data with natural language and get insights automatically.
insights INSIGHT
BI Interface Shift with AI
BI is shifting from dashboard-centric to AI and chat interfaces as the primary way of accessing insights.
Visualizations remain important for humans to verify AI-driven insights and understand data at a glance.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Diversify BI Interface Channels
Meet stakeholders where they work with flexible BI interfaces, such as chatbots embedded in Slack or other daily apps.
Provide multiple ways to access data: APIs, UIs, and chat interfaces to maximize value and user adoption.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
This week on The Data Stack Show, Eric and John welcome Michael Driscoll, Co-Founder and CEO of Rill Data. Mike discusses the transformative impact of AI on business intelligence (BI) and data analytics. He also explores the shift from traditional dashboard-based tools to more dynamic, code-driven, and AI-powered interfaces that provide deeper insights. During the conversation, the group emphasizes the importance of a metrics-first approach, the potential of leapfrog architectures using technologies like data lakes and real-time analytical databases, and how AI agents are increasingly becoming the primary users of data tools. The conversation highlights the evolving landscape of data infrastructure, where open standards, flexibility, and intelligent interfaces are reshaping how businesses interact with and understand their data, and more.
Highlights from this week’s conversation include:
Welcome Back Mike Driscoll (1:11)
Philosophy Behind BI Tools (2:04)
Building a Natural Language Processing Server (4:33)
Deployment of MCP Servers (6:07)
The Role of Visualizations in BI (10:09)
Measuring Product Success (12:43)
Navigating Changes as Data Professionals (16:13)
Efficiency Gains with Code (19:00)
The Future of Data Teams (22:29)
Long-term Use of Rutter Stack (25:16)
Analytics Landscape Overview (30:59)
Future of BI Architecture (33:04)
AI's Role in Analytics (35:07)
Interoperability and Talent Pool (39:41)
The Crowded BI Market (42:03)
Final Thoughts and Takeaways (46:07)
The Data Stack Show is a weekly podcast powered by RudderStack, customer data infrastructure that enables you to deliver real-time customer event data everywhere it’s needed to power smarter decisions and better customer experiences. Each week, we’ll talk to data engineers, analysts, and data scientists about their experience around building and maintaining data infrastructure, delivering data and data products, and driving better outcomes across their businesses with data.
RudderStack helps businesses make the most out of their customer data while ensuring data privacy and security. To learn more about RudderStack visit rudderstack.com.
The Data Stack Show