Rick Tanler

Rick Tanler is a serial software entrepreneur, business intelligence pioneer, and thought leader currently focused on the intersection of human wisdom and artificial intelligence. With over 35 years of experience, he is best known for founding and leading Information Advantage, Inc., a company that defined the early landscape of data warehousing and business analytics.

In the early 1990s, Rick founded Information Advantage, serving as CEO and Chairman. Under his leadership, the company grew from a startup to over 650 employees in eight years, securing major clients like Target, 3M, Cargill, and Mastercard. He successfully navigated the company through an IPO before its acquisition by Computer Associates in 1999. During this era he also authored The Intranet Data Warehouse (Wiley, 1997) — the first guide to combining corporate data warehouses with intranets — a foundational text that captured the methods he and his peers were pioneering in real time.

Rick has transitioned from traditional data analytics to a philosophy centered on 'Liquid Intelligence'—the idea that intelligence must flow and adapt to uncertainty rather than remaining static. He argues that while AI serves as a 'bulldozer' to clear data, human wisdom is required to navigate ambiguity and consequences.

Rick leads 's Dementia Project — 'Understanding Dementia' — a free, comprehensive online guidebook with 15 evidence-based chapters and an interactive Knowledge Portal mapping over 200 dementia-related concepts. The guidebook supports families and caregivers navigating one of the hardest challenges a family can face, and demonstrates how thoughtful AI technology can serve genuine human needs.

Currently, Rick is collaborating with Arun Batchu to operationalize his theories into 'Wisdom as a Service' or the 'River of Infinite Insight'. His goal is to build a peer-to-peer network of experts to capture and distribute high-value, 'tribal knowledge' that AI models alone cannot generate.

How others describe their work

• Pioneered the concept of "The report is the interface" utilizing intelligent agents.
• A leader in Quantitative Data Analysis vs. Qualitative Data Interpretation.
• Advocate for "Critical Learning" — the relentless search for truth through deep data engagement.
• Expert in predictive market shifts and advanced sales forecasting.
• Project lead for Understanding Dementia — applying intelligent textbook methodology to dementia care for families and caregivers.