A Data Science Discussion

I recently met with Artak Amirbekyan, Executive Manager of AI Labs at Commonwealth Bank to get his perspective on the Data Analytics Market and understand some of the challenges he has encountered in different organisations through his career.

What are the major trends you’re seeing in the Data Analytics space?  

Data Analytics industry is changing rapidly. There are pressures internally and externally. Internally, new techniques and tools being developed every day pushing the boundaries of every traditional way of working. Externally, various new regulations about data management, GDPR, AI ethics posing new challenges for analytics professionals that they need to address and comply.

What are the top traits that you see from a good Data Scientist? What skills are required?   

Data scientists becoming more business aware and understanding nuances when thinking about their new model proposals. Businesses are also becoming more familiar with what data scientist do. I would say, communication skills coupled with pragmatic engineering skills are the best combination for new generation of data scientists.

What is a good data strategy? and how do I best implement it?  

Good data science strategy starts with business goals in mind. It should also include clear implementation strategy married with capability development.

What are some of the most common challenges you see in Data Science? 

Speed of change, business adaption and legacy infrastructure.