What Happens to the Data Team When AI Writes the Code?
- Dave Findlay
- Aug 7
- 2 min read
If your job is building data capabilities, your job is changing.
The data engineer.
The analytics engineer.
The analyst.
Even the architect.
Not because the times are changing (though they are).
But because the expectations are changing.
LLMs Are Making It Easier to Build
A few years ago, building pipelines, structuring models, or writing performant SQL required serious technical skill.
Today?
You can describe what you want in plain English and get a solid starting point from an AI assistant.
No, it’s not perfect. Yes, you still need to know what “good” looks like.
But the hard part isn’t execution anymore, it’s judgment.
The Bar Has Moved
As coding gets faster, your ability to ship something technical isn’t the differentiator. The differentiator is whether what you built actually helps someone.
And that means thinking less like a builder and more like a product manager.
Who is this for?
What problem are we solving?
Where and how will the solution be used?
Is it intuitive, actionable, and trustworthy?
Will it fit into their flow of work?
Does it drive a measurable outcome?
These aren’t “nice-to-have” questions. They’re the difference between a solution that’s adopted and one that’s ignored.
Orchestration Beats Execution
You might not write every line of code anymore. But you’ll still shape:
What’s prioritized
What “done” looks like
How value will be measured
How success will be communicated
This is the real work of data delivery. And it’s a cross-functional sport. The most impactful data teams already operate like this:
They co-design solutions with business partners
They prototype, test, and iterate
They work in delivery cycles
They align around problems, not platforms
Final Thought
This doesn’t mean everyone needs to become a product owner.
But it does mean that the technical data roles of the future will need to develop product instincts:
Empathy for users
Curiosity about context
Focus on outcomes
Comfort with iteration
In a world where code can be auto-generated, the data teams who will thrive are the ones who can shape, steer, and ship meaningful solutions not just pipelines.
Execution is table stakes.
Product thinking is what sets you apart.
At Fuse, we believe a great data strategy only matters if it leads to action.
If you’re ready to move from planning to execution — and build solutions your team will actually use — let’s talk.
