Big Data: Will We Soon No Longer Need Data Scientists? - The MSP Hub

Data scientists have been called "unicorns" because finding the right person with the right set of skills -- including coding, statistics, machine learning, database management, visualization techniques, and industry-specific knowledge -- could be practically impossible. But machine learning and big data itself may be making those unicorns as obsolete as they are mythical. New machine learning algorithms can autonomously analyze data and identify patterns, even interpret the data and produce reports and data visualizations. While most people can see how certain information would be useful and what sort of insights might be derived from it, most lack the technical skills to perform the analytics. They might not have the computers that are able to carry out the large volume of calculations quickly enough to take action, but more often they lack the analytical skills to tell that computer what to do. Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies can help to break down the barriers to widespread use of data analytics by making complex analytics possible to just about anyone, regardless of their technical ability.