DataFramed

#153 From Data Literacy to AI Literacy with Cindi Howson, Chief Data Strategy Officer at ThoughtSpot

Sep 4, 2023

Cindi Howson, Chief Data Strategy Officer at ThoughtSpot and a renowned expert in data analytics, discusses the rise of data and AI literacy in organizations. She emphasizes the cultural shift needed to embrace generative AI, highlighting its profound impact on job roles and the importance of bridging business needs with technology. Cindi explains how AI literacy complements data literacy and reveals how generative AI can enhance data accessibility, transforming data management and empowering a new generation of data professionals.

39:19

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Cindi Howson

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Quick takeaways

Generative AI tools accelerate data literacy by making data more understandable and accessible through generating questions, providing explanations of visualizations, and offering in-app assistance.

AI literacy is crucial for organizations adopting generative AI, as it extends data literacy by enabling individuals to understand and interpret AI-generated outputs, including biases, limitations, and the need for human oversight.

Deep dives

The impact of generative AI on data literacy

Generative AI is changing the way organizations and individuals interact with data, accelerating data literacy. It allows for more approachable data exploration by generating questions based on data and popular queries. Additionally, it provides descriptions and explanations of data visualizations, making data more understandable and accessible. Generative AI also supports in-app support and assistance, helping users with their data-related needs. By utilizing generative AI, organizations can empower their data teams to focus on harder problems, such as predictive and prescriptive analytics, and enhance data storytelling skills. With generative AI tools, data analysts can do more with less, focusing on interpreting insights and effectively communicating data-driven findings.

Generative AI Will Help Build Data Literacy

01:33

AI Literacy Means Understanding Bias To Interpret the Output

00:39

Intro

4min

Generative AI: Evolution and Impact

6min

Transforming Data Roles with Generative AI

4min

Embracing AI and Data Literacy

8min

The Intersection of AI and Data Literacy

3min

Empowering Data Literacy with AI

14min

For the past few years, we've seen the importance of data literacy and why organizations must invest in a data-driven culture, mindset, and skillset. However, as generative AI tools like ChatGPT have risen to prominence in the past year, AI literacy has never been more important. But how do we begin to approach AI literacy? Is it an extension of data literacy, a complement, or a new paradigm altogether? How should you get started on your AI literacy ambitions?

Cindi Howson is the Chief Data Strategy Officer at ThoughtSpot and host of The Data Chief podcast. Cindi is a data analytics, AI, and BI thought leader and an expert with a flair for bridging business needs with technology. As Chief Data Strategy Officer at ThoughtSpot, she advises top clients on data strategy and best practices to become data-driven, speaks internationally on top trends such as AI ethics, and influences ThoughtSpot’s product strategy.

Cindi was previously a Gartner Research Vice President, the lead author for the data and analytics maturity model and analytics and BI Magic Quadrant, and a popular keynote speaker. She introduced new research in data and AI for good, NLP/BI Search, and augmented analytics, bringing both BI bake-offs and innovation panels to Gartner globally. She’s frequently quoted in MIT, Harvard Business Review, and Information Week. She is rated a top 12 influencer in big data and analytics by Analytics Insight, Onalytca, Solutions Review, and Humans of Data.

In the episode, Cindi and Adel discuss how generative AI accelerates an organization’s data literacy, how leaders can think beyond data literacy and start to think about AI literacy, the importance of responsible use of AI, how to best communicate the value of AI within your organization, what generative AI means for data teams, AI use-cases in the data space, the psychological barriers blocking AI adoption, and much more.

Links Mentioned in the Show:

The Data Chief Podcast

ThoughtSpot Sage

BloombergGPT

Radar: Data & AI Literacy

Course: AI Ethics

Course: Generative AI Concepts

Course: Implementing AI Solutions in Business