Click here for the story, “Exploring the Value of the Insights Capability.”
AI Fueling Operational Growth
Artificial intelligence is still a massive game changer for market research. It can be particularly important for smaller operations when the mantra of doing more with less is still in full swing.
“Definitely, our AI-powered knowledge base lets AI help answer all the easy questions,” says Karen Kraft, Associate Director, Consumer Insights & Analytics, Johnsonville. “It also gives everyone no excuse for not including insights in their work. As a coach of a small team, it makes sure we’re working on the things that truly matter strategically and require our knowledge and brain power. It also has been invaluable during periods when I’ve been forced to be a team of one.”
AI has also put the value of data-driven market research front and center. More and more, as insights pros become strategic consultants, data monetization is becoming an increasingly important skill to position oneself as specializing in.
As Michael Nevski, Director, Global Insights, Visa, observes, “I specialize in translating complex data assets into actionable business intelligence, helping organizations understand and act on evolving market dynamics and consumer behavior. My approach combines rigorous research methodology with strategic business acumen, enabling clients and business partners to make informed decisions that drive measurable results. This expertise is particularly valuable as organizations seek to maximize the strategic and commercial value of their data assets in today’s rapidly evolving market landscape.”
Market Signals Beyond AI
Clearly, AI is still on everyone’s mind these days. Yet beyond the thoughts of using AI as a supporting tool, but at the same time leaning into human-centricity, the insights professional is standing at a crossroads of sorts as they look to the future. Just what that might hold for the insights function or capability is still up for conjecture.
“We are at the doorstep of a new frontier,” says Elizabeth Oates, Author, More Than Just Interesting: How to Build an Insights Function for Impact. “As we look into the future, I believe we should consider rebranding our function. In the past, we moved from market research to consumer insights in order to reflect the need for bringing insights, not just data. Today professionals in our industry need to make connections between insights and the business in order to drive action. We should truly consider rebranding again to reflect this evolution. Might I suggest that we no longer work in consumer insights, but rather consumer-centricity?”
For Justin Coates, Head of Global Market Research & Consumer Insights, Eastman, the worlds of insights and strategy teams are converging at a rapid pace. This may signal a change in culture and teams in the future.
“The big question in my mind centers around the future of insights and strategy teams,” says Coates. “Today, these groups are separate with some overlap. In the future, these capabilities will be streamlined into one organization. I don’t think you can merge these groups together, so it is up to each to alter their skills, services, and capabilities to future-proof their offerings and value to their companies.”
Doing More With Less
While these are exciting times within the insights community, there are of course concerns as well. Will AI replace established practices, and replace functions and capabilities, too?
Kraft notes, “With AI and DIY methodology solutions readily available, insights departments are continually being asked to do more with less, both with funding and people. Additionally, this leads to fewer day-to-day projects being outsourced to research partners who are needing to adapt their go-to-market strategies if they want to survive. This makes me concerned about the future of our industry. I see it leading to fewer entry-level positions where employees can cut their teeth and learn the ropes on their way to becoming true insight professionals. I hope I’m wrong.”
At the same time, Kraft suggests, generative AI represents a huge opportunity: “Insights is embracing AI much quicker than other areas of companies. Being on the leading edge of this new technology is going to help keep insights at the center of the conversation in many organizations.”
Positioning the insights pro as central to the company’s data needs is something that Kraft sees as happening in the future, which bodes well for the profession.
“With AI and DIY tools making the day-to-day projects faster and cheaper, and sometimes easier depending on the platform, I think this is freeing up insights professionals to think more holistically and strategically about our businesses. This is elevating the role of the seasoned insights professional and the role of insights within overall company strategy, which is exciting,” says Kraft.
Emerging Insights Trends
Michael Bagalman, Vice President, Business Intelligence and Data Science, STARZ, dives deeper into specific themes that he sees trending, and which will have an impact on the insights community.
Here’s a selection from Bagalman of what’s potentially on the horizon:
- Automated Decision Intelligence: Why stop at delivering insights when systems can act on them? Expect tools that don’t just analyze but execute.
- Synthetic Data: When privacy laws tighten their grip, synthetic data will be your new BFF. Realistic, privacy-friendly data for testing and modeling? Yes, please.
- Augmented Analytics: Next-gen tools will democratize analytics, letting non-techy people uncover patterns with AI-driven nudges.
- Explainable AI (XAI): The “why” behind the insight will matter as much as the “what.” Transparent is the new black (when it comes to boxes).
- Continuous Intelligence: Real-time insights are the start. Continuous intelligence will monitor, analyze, and adapt 24/7.
Perhaps most importantly, Bagalman sees an evolving and changing mindset for the insights professional. This perspective is proactive in developing the leadership and culture of insights so that the team can leverage not only new tools but a new mindset.
“The horizon isn’t just shiny tools,” says Bagalman. “It’s a mindset shift: From delivering insights to driving impact. The time and distance between analysis and action are getting smaller.”
At the Next Station
Getting back to that methodological crossroads for the insights professional. Just how market research practices will change in the future is up for debate, but it seems a certainty that AI and other next generation tools will continue to advance the profession. The insights pro must stay on the edge of tomorrow to position themselves for the future.
As Elizabeth Oates puts it, “The future of insights strategy is being redefined by the convergence of groundbreaking technological advancements, rapidly shifting consumer behaviors, and the ever-evolving priorities of modern businesses. The industry stands at a pivotal crossroads: the emergence of generative AI offers unprecedented opportunities for transformation, but the choice remains—to embrace this potential with agility or to falter in hesitation.”
For Oates, Nevski and other professionals embracing the strategic consultant mindset, insights teams must rise to the occasion, harnessing the power of AI not merely as a tool for data collection and synthesis but as a catalyst for timely, actionable intelligence.
“At the same time—and critically so—insights professionals must anchor this technological revolution in human empathy and consumer centricity,” says Oates. “The most impactful strategies will not be those that dehumanize decision-making but those that amplify it, leveraging AI to empower, not replace, the nuanced understanding of human needs. This dual responsibility—to embrace innovation while upholding the centrality of the consumer—will define the path forward for insights professionals and the businesses they support.”
Video courtesy of Gartner
