Will AI Finally Deliver the Last Mile of BI?

How Artificial Intelligence is Closing the Gap Between Data and Decision-Making

In my 25+ year career, I’ve been fortunate to work on a single, persistent challenge: helping business users get the insights they need to make better decisions.

I've seen the evolution of business intelligence from multiple angles. And through each phase, one thing has stayed constant. We’ve always struggled to truly deliver the last mile of BI.

Where It All Began: Personalised Reporting

My first startup was focused on delivering personalised information to the people who needed it most. The vision was simple. Everyone in a business should be able to get the right data, in the right format, at the right time. Back then, we did this through personalised web reports.

This was during the early days of web development. Browser support was patchy. Netscape Navigator was our biggest challenge. But we pushed through, and eventually our work caught the attention of SAP BusinessObjects, who acquired us in 2002.

The mission was clear. Give more people access to the information they need, without them having to dig for it.

The Next Step: Pushing BI Closer to the Front Line

Fast forward ten years. My second startup, Antivia (acquired by insightsoftware), picked up the BI baton again. This time, the focus was on BI apps. These were simple, easy-to-use applications that brought together all the data a user needed in one place. Whether on desktop, tablet, or mobile, the experience was seamless.

We made real progress. Customers were using our apps to deliver insights to thousands of people across their organisations. In some cases, over 3,000 users were engaged with the data.

But even then, something was missing. We still hadn’t cracked the last mile.

What Is the Last Mile of BI?

The last mile is where everything comes together. It's the critical moment where data turns into action. Not in the boardroom or the analytics team, but in everyday decisions made by everyday users.

This is where most BI tools struggle. It’s not enough to build dashboards or reports. We also have to make sure people actually use them.

That means asking users to learn new tools, remember to check dashboards, and change their daily routines. It means hoping they find time to dig into reports between meetings and emails. Too often, these tools end up underused or forgotten.

Why AI Might Be the Missing Piece

Today, artificial intelligence gives us a fresh opportunity to solve this challenge.

With conversational BI, users can simply ask questions in natural language and get clear, relevant answers. No training. No dashboards. Just a conversation.

Even more powerful, AI agents can scan your data in the background. They can spot patterns, detect anomalies, and surface growth opportunities before anyone even asks. This proactive intelligence is a game changer.

But this is not just a better interface. It is a new way of thinking about how people work with data.

AI makes it possible to connect data to decisions more directly, without friction or delay. And for the first time, we may be able to truly close the gap between insight and action.

Is Context the Missing Ingredient

Of course, AI still needs structure. To give helpful answers, it has to understand your business. Where the data comes from. What the numbers mean. How systems are connected.

This is where the idea of a semantic layer becomes essential.

Back in the late 1990s, BusinessObjects introduced the concept of a semantic layer to make complex databases understandable to business users. It was a powerful step forward, and helped bring BI to a wider audience.

Today, the team at eyko builds on that idea with something even more advanced.

eyko's Universal AI semantic Layer

eyko connects directly to your business systems. ERP, CRM, finance, HR, supply chain, and more. It creates a unified layer across these systems that gives AI the context it needs to deliver meaningful answers.

eyko call this the Application Intelligence Layer.

It lets AI see the full picture. So, when something goes wrong in one part of the business, it can trace the issue back to the source, even if the root cause sits in a completely different system.

For example, a sudden drop in sales might not be a sales problem at all. It could be caused by stock issues in the supply chain or a delay in finance approvals. With a connected intelligence layer, AI can follow the trail and explain what’s really happening.

This level of insight was almost impossible before.

AI Streams: A New Way to Analyse Your Data

eyko also let's data teams create AI Streams. These are curated flows of data that can be shaped into powerful analysis models. You can pivot these models in any direction, explore them in real time, and ask natural language questions to get fast answers.

There’s no need to learn new tools or wait for a data analyst. You just ask. The AI responds. And the data stays fresh, connected, and ready to support decisions.

Whether you're trying to track trends, dig into operational issues, or explore new growth opportunities, AI Streams give you flexibility and control.

This is business intelligence designed for how real people work.

Closing the Loop

After all these years, we are closer than ever to solving the last mile of BI.

We no longer have to ask users to adapt to the system. With AI and platforms like eyko, the system can adapt to the user.

We can connect systems, surface insights automatically, and give people the answers they need, when and where they need them.

This is what we always aimed for. Insights woven into daily workflows. Decisions supported by data. No barriers. No friction. No missed opportunities.

What Changes When You Crack the Last Mile?

So why does the last mile matter so much? Because when you finally deliver it, everything else changes.

The moment data becomes truly accessible to everyone, not just analysts or IT teams, is the moment decision-making starts to shift. Business users no longer wait days for reports. They no longer make gut calls because they “don’t have the numbers.” Instead, they ask questions and get answers immediately. In natural language and in context.

Operations managers spot issues before they become problems. Finance teams close faster because they’re not chasing missing data. Sales teams course-correct in real time. Executives don’t have to wait for their monthly board pack, as they already know what’s happening.

The culture changes too. People start to trust data more, because it reflects the reality they see. They start to engage with it more, because it’s easy to use. The constant back-and-forth between business and data teams fades away, replaced by collaboration and momentum.

Most importantly, businesses get faster. Not in a chaotic way, but in a focused, informed way. They spot opportunities quicker. They fix things sooner. They adapt with confidence.

Cracking the last mile of BI isn’t just a technical achievement. It’s a strategic advantage.

So, Will AI Deliver the Last Mile?

If we get the architecture right, the answer (I hope) is yes.

With an intelligent layer across your business systems, AI that understands business context, and a user experience built around natural questions, the last mile of BI is no longer out of reach.

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