LLMs for Data Science - Practical Applications Beyond the Hype

Explore practical applications of Large Language Models (LLMs) in data science in this 23-minute talk by Hadley Wickham, Chief Scientist at Posit. Learn about three key areas where LLMs deliver genuine value beyond the hype: writing code, crafting prose, and transforming non-rectangular data into structured formats. Gain valuable insights for working with unstructured information like text, images, videos, and audio data, and discover how to effectively integrate these powerful tools into real data science workflows. This presentation from Data Council's 2025 conference (Day 1 - Data Science & Algorithms track) offers pragmatic perspectives for data professionals looking to leverage LLMs in their daily work.