In this conversation, I sit down with Rob Collie, former Microsoft employee, one of the early people behind Power Pivot, founder of P3 Adaptive and author of Fair Game, to talk about how AI is changing the world of Power BI, data analytics, business intelligence and data careers.
We discuss whether AI will replace Power BI developers and data analysts, whether skills like DAX, Power Query, M and data modelling will still matter, and how someone starting a career today should think about learning technical skills when AI can already write code, formulas and build applications.
Rob also explains why he believes semantic models will become even more important in the AI era. We talk about the future of Power BI dashboards, conversational BI, AI agents that can answer questions directly from business data, and why a well-built semantic model could become the foundation for many AI-powered business applications.
The conversation also covers Claude Code, Codex, custom AI systems, AI for business, Microsoft Fabric IQ, Microsoft IQ, and why simply giving employees access to ChatGPT or Claude is very different from building an AI system that actually understands your company, business rules and data.
If you work with Power BI, Excel, Power Query, DAX, data modelling, business intelligence or analytics, this conversation gives a practical perspective on how AI may change your work, what skills could become more valuable, and how data professionals can prepare for what comes next.
The Only Power BI Skills That Will Matter | Ft. Rob Collie
