Each year, we get the B2T team together for a kickoff meeting and dinner. This year we were thrilled to be joined by both of our founders, Barb Carkenord and Tina Joseph. The stories they have about the early days of B2T, the IIBA, and business analysis in general are fascinating. It’s amazing how far the profession has come since we were founded in 2000.
Conversation eventually turned from reminiscing about the past to talking about the future. Not surprisingly, the topic of AI and business analysis came up. I shared the fact that many students worry that they may eventually be replaced by AI agents. Barb’s reply was immediate: “Oh, I think AI means that companies need us more than ever!”
I couldn’t agree more. I’ve been expanding my personal use of AI over the past few months and it’s been quite a journey. I’m convinced that AI will never replace business analysts. Having said that, successful analysts will need to position themselves to work in AI-enabled environments. In this post, I’ll cover what humans do better than AI and how to thrive with the assistance of AI. I’ll also introduce our upcoming newsletter series, “Practical AI for Business Analysts”.
What Human Business Analysts Do Better Than AI
AI will absolutely change how business analysts work—but it won’t replace why they exist. In my experience, what really sets strong business analysts apart is their ability to apply human judgment, understand context, and influence outcomes—especially in situations that aren’t neat or predictable. Let’s look at some things that humans do better than AI.
Navigating Ambiguity and Unclear Problems
AI works best when the problem is clearly defined. Most business problems aren’t—at least not at the beginning.
AI can’t see when stakeholders are solving different problems, when symptoms are mistaken for causes, or when assumptions are driving decisions. Often, the most valuable thing we do is slow the conversation down long enough to ask, “Are we sure we’re solving the right problem?” That comes from experience, not algorithms.
Building Trust and Relationships
Good analysis depends on trust, and trust is still very much a human thing.
Business analysts build it by listening carefully, noticing what isn’t being said, and creating enough psychological safety for people to be honest—even when the news isn’t great. AI can summarize a meeting, but it can’t read the room or sense hesitation. Human analysts can.
Influencing Without Authority
Analysts don’t always make the decisions, but we influence them all the time.
We help people understand tradeoffs, communicate differently with different audiences, negotiate priorities, and de‑escalate tense conversations. Timing, empathy, and judgment matter here—and those aren’t things AI does well.
Understanding Organizational Context (and Politics)
Every organization has unwritten rules.
Human analysts understand what will fly, what won’t, who really influences decisions, and why certain ideas failed in the past. AI can analyze data, but it doesn’t understand organizational history or culture. Analysts bring that context with them into every conversation.
Innovation
AI can generate ideas. Humans can innovate.
Innovation comes from curiosity, experience, and understanding how work actually gets done—not from predicting the next most likely answer. Analysts spot unmet needs and challenge assumptions in ways AI can’t.
Knowing When Not to Use AI
AI still needs adults in the room.
One of the most important skills analysts bring to AI‑enabled environments is knowing where AI adds value—and where it introduces risk. Just because you can use AI doesn’t mean you should. It’s imperative to understanding the consequences, limitations, and ethical implications of AI use. And asking AI to police itself is kind of like asking the fox to guard the henhouse.
How Business Analysts Can Evolve with AI
I believe Barb is right – skilled business analysts won’t just survive the rise of AI—they’ll become more essential than ever. AI will change the tasks we perform and how we perform them, but it will not eliminate the need for skilled human analysts. Here are some keys to thriving as an analyst in an AI-enabled environment:
1
Learn to Leverage AI Appropriately
Don’t view AI as a competitor. I have decided that for me, AI is like a really enthusiastic college intern. Why do I think that?
- It’s happy to dig and do lots of research so I don’t have to.
- It can produce good drafts, but typically not finished products.
- It occasionally gets so excited about something that it embellishes the truth (OK – sometimes it just lies) so I always validate important information.
- It can learn if we provide feedback and coaching; over time it can become much more effective at routine tasks.
There’s nothing wrong with having AI help with your work, just realize that it can’t do all your thinking for you. You’ll still typically need to finish the job yourself.
2
Double Down on Learning
This post identifies a number of things that humans do better than AI. Invest in developing those human skills – facilitation, critical thinking, ethical judgment, and innovation. Those are areas where AI will not be competing with humans – at least for a long time to come.
It’s also a good time to invest in traditional business analysis skills. As I mentioned before, you should always review any output that is generated by AI. Unless you know the tools and techniques well, you can’t evaluate and revise what AI produces. Using our analogy of an intern again, you need to be the senior team member that polishes the initial results. Our Business Analysis Proficiency Assessment can help you determine where you stand.
Business Analysis Proficiency Assessment
This skills inventory helps you take stock of where you’re strong and where you may want to grow as business analysis continues to evolve.
3
Look Forward to Other Roles That Use Your Skillset
Business analysis skills are surprisingly transferable. I’ve used my analysis skills in so many other roles throughout my career, up to and including my time as a Senior Director at an internet security software company. You may be surprised to find how well-positioned you are for a career outside of business analysis. I asked AI to suggest some options (yes, I did!). The list was surprisingly long and had lots of interesting ideas. I’m not suggesting you start putting together an exit plan – but rather that you realize how versatile and broad the BA skillset is, and how many options you have because of that.
What’s Next: A Practical AI Series for Business Analysts
Next month we’ll be launching a new series focused on working as an analyst in the era of AI. Some of our posts will focus on improving the human skills that we bring to the table.
Other posts will focus on using AI in everyday business analysis work. I’ve spent a fair amount of time recently trying out prompts and asking AI to do analytical tasks. In those posts I’ll share what worked – and what didn’t. My goal isn’t to present “perfect” prompts or showcase my AI wizardry. I don’t pretend to be an expert at this yet – I’m definitely still learning. But I found that once I got past my initial resistance, I could identify a lot of tasks to hand off to AI. In fact, I’ve even given my “virtual intern” a persona. Meet Aidan – you’ll probably run into him in some future newsletters 😊.
I hope you’ll join us as we explore the impact of AI on our profession! I’ve learned a lot, had some fun, and am looking forward to sharing that with you all.
Kathy Claycomb
Managing Partner, Lead Expert
Kathy Claycomb brings over 35 years of experience to the classroom. She has participated in all phases of solution development using everything from agile to waterfall methodologies (and quite a few in between). Before joining B2T, her career spanned roles from application developer to Senior Director of Services at various organizations. Kathy has broad industry background including transportation, manufacturing, insurance, energy, healthcare, and banking.
Kathy’s first love is teaching, and throughout her career she has always managed to spend a portion of her time instructing. She has an engaging, highly interactive teaching style that ensures students leave the course with a thorough grasp of the material. Her students consistently praise her teaching abilities and her talent for drawing on her personal experience to enhance their learning.
Kathy served as the Technical Editor for Business Analysis for Dummies, 2nd Edition.