What has been the most significant industry development of 2024, either technological or methodological?

Ray Poynter, chief research officer, Potentiate
AI, especially Generative AI, especially ChatGPT and tools built on top of ChatGPT are by far and away the most significant change in 2024. 

Mark James, chief executive, Differentology
Clearly AI has been the big game-changer, shaking up how we handle and understand data. But while AI is great for the heavy lifting, machines can’t ‘feel’—they can’t see the full story behind the numbers. That’s where humans come in. Real insights need empathy and understanding, not just algorithms. It’s all about teamwork: letting AI handle the processing work while people dig deeper, making sure the data actually connects with the real lives it represents. 

Emma Cooper, chief people officer, System1 Group
It’s remarkable how quickly AI has gone from being a niche topic to taking centre stage in conversations, strategies, and agendas across industries. Even if a company hasn’t launched an AI-specific product yet, it’s likely already using AI in some capacity — it’s becoming an integral part of day-to-day operations.  

Paul Hudson, founder and chief executive, FlexMR
The emergence of LLMs – but this time I mean LOCAL language models. These are a variation of using large language models, but when combined with local data sets and retrieval techniques they create localised and specifically trained models which may be more applicable and revolutionary in our specific sector. 

Nick Baker, global chief research officer, Savanta
It’s obvious the most noise has been about AI, but that’s different to significant. Peel back the various layers of the onion and – for me – the rise of Snowflake will be seen as he most impactful development. Not only does it hugely transform the rapidly emerging opportunities in AI, but crucially it enables all those promises of what big data would enable for a much more mainstream audience. It enables and empowers both big data and AI… that trumps AI for me. 

Jane Frost, chief executive, Market Research Society
We haven’t necessarily seen a fundamental methodological shift this year – instead, the sector has been hard at work applying and embedding existing methodologies in new ways. Multilevel regression and post-stratification (MRP) polls were placed in the spotlight in a much greater way than in previous elections, helping to reflect the subtleties of our electoral landscape and, I think, contributing to more considered media reporting around polls. 

The big election year may be coming to a close, but the work is already underway to make sure the sector is even more prepared to get the public’s voices heard when the next set of major elections comes around. Getting there will rely on a continued focus on representation and inclusion in samples – and greater transparency in the way core methodologies are handled. 

Ben Shimshon, chief executive and founding partner, Thinks Insight & Strategy
The re-emergence of deliberative and dialogue approaches: Involving public, workforce and service users in shaping ambitions and policy for our shared spaces and services. Pragmatic, mixed-mode, super inclusive deliberation makes for better policy that stands a greater chance of succeeding on its own terms, and fostering trust more widely.