How AI Is Supercharging Analytics

If you want a front-row seat to how AI is changing the analytics world, our team is a great example of how we have embraced this technology. For our analysts, AI has become the engine behind how the team thinks, builds, and moves. We interviewed three AI-savvy Analysts who have leaned into the tools.  

Claire, a Senior Data Analyst, puts it simply: “The biggest impact of AI on the Analytics team at DraftKings is speed.” Analysts can now prototype frameworks, write code, create documentation, and get feedback in minutes. That shift pulls everyone out of repetitive work and allows us to dive straight into deeper modeling, experimentation, and the kind of deeper insights that move the business forward.

Shreya, an Analytics Manager, believes AI has made the team more experimental and creative, encouraging more iteration and bold actions. Shreya sees teammates exploring projects they might not have had time for before, sharing new workflows, and iterating more freely. 

“The most exciting part for me is how much easier it’s become to learn and develop new analytical skills,” Shreya added. 

Matt, a Lead Analyst, says the magic is in what AI unlocks on the coding side. His team can test more hypotheses, explore more ideas, and check more assumptions without burning extra time or resources. He calls AI a force multiplier, and that’s exactly how it works across the team.

Meet NELLY: The AI assistant rewriting the workflow

A significant part of the team’s acceleration stems from NELLY, a CustomGPT tool developed by Claire, Shreya, and Matt during a company-wide hackathon. What started as a passion project has grown into one of the most widely used tools across DraftKings. 

Claire describes NELLY as an efficiency tool for analysts. It can write and review code, review slide presentations, collaborate on analysis frameworks, and answer onboarding questions. Shreya says its presentation mode alone has reshaped her workflow. Instead of spending hours structuring a deck, she now receives a high-quality first draft within minutes, which dramatically cuts the polishing time. 

Matt says NELLY has acted as a centralized hub for the team’s knowledge base, making information more accessible in a low-friction format. “This means better and more informed decisions all around, no more information silos, and everyone can find the context and guidance they need,” Matt added. 

Collaboration without bottlenecks

AI is also changing who gets to participate in analytical work. Claire explains that her internal business partners can now utilize NELLY to write and execute high-quality SQL queries tailored to their individual use cases. No more waiting for an analyst to pull the data. Once partners validate an idea, they return to the team for further testing and implementation. 

Shreya says the team has become more collaborative because of AI. People are constantly sharing new tricks, workflows, and use cases. Matt echoes this, saying he’s really enjoyed working on many AI projects with the team. 

A culture built on curiosity

Across the Analytics team, one trait consistently emerges: curiosity. All three teammates believe that thriving with AI comes down to a willingness to learn through hands-on trial and error. 

These folks are continuing to build what’s next. Claire is excited about Agentic NELLY, which is capable of executing end-to-end analytical tasks. Shreya imagines more interactive reporting. Matt sees the next wave emerging as new enterprise-level AI layers mature.

And the road ahead? Even bigger. For analysts who want to be ahead of the AI race, not just analyze it, DraftKings is the place for you. Check out our open positions.