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Natural-language database queries too early to trust, experts warn non-specialists should use caution

Database and analytics companies are rolling out text-to-SQL tools that let users query databases in natural language, but experts warn non-specialists should be cautious. Toronto University computer science professor Nick Koudas said systems can generate queries that are grammatically correct but not what business users intended. He put current accuracy at about 80 percent, below human experts at around 93 percent, and said company-specific data and jargon are hard for LLMs without extra training.