Business intelligence (BI) aims to turn data into actionable insights for better business decisions. Today, artificial intelligence (AI) is changing how we approach BI by enhancing the accuracy and depth of insights: allowing marketers to uncover hidden patterns and trends that drive more informed, data-driven strategies.
At our agency, we leverage several AI-driven tools to help us enhance our analytics and BI capabilities. These include Google Analytics 4 (GA4), Tableau Pulse and Tableau Einstein, and Gemini. These tools provide deeper insights and streamline the decision-making process, allowing businesses to leverage data like never before.
AI in Google Analytics 4
Since its launch, one of GA4’s most significant features has been its advanced AI modeling. GA4 offers analytics insights and custom insights, powered by machine learning, to give users a clearer picture of the data.
Analytics insights help users track trends and anomalies in your data to stay ahead of changes in user behavior.
Custom insights are conditions decided upon by the user that are tracked in GA4 with alerts sent via email when any of the conditions have been met. Machine learning provides insights on this data, making it easier to take immediate action. For example, say we want to track whenever a page’s engagement rate decreases. We can create a custom insight to monitor the page. If the engagement rate slips below our threshold, GA4 will alert us about the drop and possible reasons why.
These recommendations are straightforward and provide a graph visual that gives the user a clear picture of what the data is showing. This information saves them time when trying to understand data in Google Analytics and helps prevent issues from arising due to any errors in data collection.
By using the AI-driven machine learning and advanced modeling principles in GA4, users can unlock more meaning from their data than ever before.
Tableau Pulse and Einstein
Tableau Pulse is an AI-powered tool driven by Tableau AI that empowers every team member to make data-driven decisions. With Pulse, users are given a snapshot of their most important metrics as well as a short, AI-generated recap of the data. Users are also able to follow metrics to see any trends or anomalies that are up to date with live data.
Pulse stands out with its predictive modeling feature, where generative AI anticipates questions marketers might have about their data and delivers answers in real time. Pulse then provides answers to those questions to give users a better understanding of their data.
Pulse also seamlessly integrates platforms like Slack, making it easier to share insights and ensure that the entire team stays on the same page. Most importantly, it's built within the Einstein Trust Layer, so data is analyzed in a secure and trusted AI environment — without compromising privacy or security.
Gemini and Looker Studio
Looker Studio, another BI platform driven by Google, has also joined the AI revolution by offering Gemini to Looker Studio Pro subscribers. Though still in its early stages, Gemini already shows promising capabilities to help increase data literacy for users.
Currently, Gemini offers two key features:
Seamless Integration with Google Slides – Users can easily move Looker Studio dashboards into Google Slides presentations. An AI-generated summary accompanies each visualization to help users communicate data insights more effectively.
Formula Assistance – Gemini provides a “help me write” feature for formulas, where users can prompt the AI to help create custom fields and metrics. This is particularly useful for those who are new to Looker Studio or don’t have coding experience.
Gemini is still evolving, but we are excited about the future developments that Google has in store. It’s clear that AI is set to further expand the practice of data analytics by making it more accessible to a wider audience.
Taking Advantage of AI-Powered Marketing Analytics
The integration of AI into business intelligence tools like GA4, Tableau Pulse, and Looker Studio is reshaping how businesses interpret data and improving data-driven decision making. These tools not only make it easier to gather insights but also empower teams across departments to make informed decisions quickly and securely.
Of course, AI does not have all of the information that we need to provide complete insights and recommendations. Coupled with our expertise and campaign knowledge, AI is a tool to help paint a clearer picture of all the data available to us. It helps us see what is important in the data, and we provide the valuable context around the planning and execution of our campaigns.
We’re constantly exploring the latest AI advancements to ensure that our clients stay ahead of the curve. By combining AI-driven tools with our deep expertise, we deliver real-time insights that go beyond the data, enabling us to develop precise, actionable strategies that drive impactful results for our clients. Ready to see what’s possible with AI-driven analytics? Connect with us today.
Ashley Netzer, Director, Customer Experience & Data, also contributed to this blog.
By Two Rivers Marketing
By Minda Kuckuck