Speaking at Zappi’s Connected Insights Conference in New York City yesterday ( 17^th September), Jacci Weber, team lead, pet parent insights at Mars, said researchers will be able to spend more time influencing business decisions as more process-heavy tasks become automated.

“Researchers are very well-suited for AI because we are naturally very curious people. To use AI well, you have to know how to prompt, and we are also natural question askers,” said Weber during a panel session on how brands are using AI for insights.

Discussing the skills that she will need to hone further within her team in future, growing its influence will be a priority, said Weber. “As we free up more time from them doing more menial tasks, we can spend more time influencing the business. Perhaps, instead of spending 50% of our time executing a research study, we’ll be able to spend 50% of the time influencing. Having a team of influencers, storytellers and activators will be a game changer.”

Karen Kraft, associate director, consumer insights and analytics, Johnsonville, said: “For me, it’s not so much how you are as a researcher – if you’re applying for a consumer insights position I’m going to be able to suss you out quickly as a researcher – but are you going to be able to hold your own in meetings?

“Since you’re not going to be sitting at your desk doing those menial tasks, you’re going to be in meetings with innovation and brand teams, maybe someone from the c-suite. Are you going to be able to hold your own and be that voice of the consumer? It’s more consultative, more salesy – selling the idea and their thoughts on what the consumer is saying, and making sure that’s heard.”

Jordan Cusner, head of guest insights, North America, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, added that insights professionals shouldn’t shy away from creativity. “I think it’s easy for insights people to be in the data and what we need to be thinking about is change management and our partnerships with marketers and other teams, and bring some of that creativity – it’s not just data and numbers. We as insights people can help connect the dots for our marketers, who have a different agenda.”

Discussing future opportunities, Cusner said it is up to insights professionals to integrate AI effectively in their work. He said: “A few years ago, DIY research was going to put insights people out of business and then there was this revolution of using it to support, and I think AI is going to do the same thing.

“Insights people are the people leading the charge on AI within organisations, and it’s about figuring out how we can use that to level up what we do and bringing our best consultancy to the broader organisation. We have to continually reflect on how this can help us do our jobs better, how we can integrate it with the rest of our processes, and not let it put us out of work.”

New generative AI approaches are fostering a sense of excitement, added Weber. “I haven’t seen a lot of other great use cases of AI within organisations, so to be able to go to marketing meetings and our other counterparts and say ‘this is AI generated, and this is real’ is great. I think it is bringing some relevancy and excitement back to our function.”

Cusner added: “[It’s about] results. I expect my vendors to come to me with solutions to my business problems and I can’t fall into the same trap of trying to impress my marketers with an algorithm.”

Insight is an industry that has always evolved, said Kraft. “This is the next evolution and it’s going to make our job cooler,” she said, adding: “We’re going to be less research geeks and more business partners and influencers.”

Research from Zappi and the AMA found that over a third ( 35%) of 750 insights professionals surveyed agreed on the critical importance of using AI for consumer insights, which is higher than other parts of the marketing function. 

At another session at the Connected Insights Conference, Steve Phillips, co-founder of Zappi, said: “It’s because we understand data, so are perfectly positioned to be at the forefront of AI adoption within our organisations. This is by far the most exciting time to be in consumer insight and we can genuinely set the agenda not just for insights or marketing, but our businesses themselves. We can genuinely transform our businesses. This is the new paradigm in AI.”

Discussing concerns over large language models becoming exhausted unless they get extra data, Phillips said: “We have data, and not only do we have data, but we have really rich data, we have ‘why’ data – we have an understanding of consumers, their lives and behaviours. We can integrate that data into an LLM.”

This shift means that insights professionals can play a bigger role in driving businesses forward, said Phillips. “We are increasingly able to help optimise and validate ideas before they go into market. Now, we can inspire those ideas and increasingly we can be at the forefront of creating those ideas, because we understand consumers.”