Google Analytics adds natural language controls
Google Analytics users will soon be able to ask the system questions about their data in the form of natural language queries.
Google says the feature uses the same natural language processing technology that's currently available across other Google products like Search and Android.
Once the feature is available, users will have the ability to type or speak out a query and immediately receive a breakout of analyzed data that ranges from basic numbers and percentages to more detailed visualizations in charts and graphs.
Google says it's aiming to make data analysis more accessible to workers across a business, while in turn freeing up analysts to focus on more complex research and discovery.
The ability to ask questions is tied to the Analytics Intelligence platform, Google's set of machine learning features designed to help businesses better understand their data. In a blog post, Google said Analytics Intelligence will surface new metrics and include smart lists, smart goals, session quality, and automated insights.
Over time, the natural language functionality is supposed to get smarter by learning what questions and insights users are most interested in.