Almost three years ago, I shifted from a 20+ year career in qualitative research and insight to studying and working in generative AI. Some colleagues cheered, others booed. It’s definitely sparked many passionate conversations about the future of the insights industry in the face of a relentless wave of generative AI and its unrelenting hype.
What will Generative AI do to (or for) the insights business?
The insight professionals I know are both excited and deeply concerned. So am I. I see some running hard to embrace generative AI, jamming it into the process where its value is unproven or limited. Others are pathologically resistant, assuming it can only cheapen quality, and thus exclude themselves from obvious areas of benefit.
Here’s how I think it will actually play out.
Generative AI will affect the qualitative research and insights industry much like the loom affected clothing manufacturing. Yes, I’m comparing generative AI to the Industrial Revolution. Yes, I’ve oversimplified to make the point. But hear me out:
Before the loom, most people made do with a few basic items of hand-made, often-patched clothing. The wealthy could afford high-quality garments made by skilled weavers and tailors. The poor were often cold and under-clothed.
When the Industrial Revolution dust settled, clothing was mostly machine-made and much more affordable. Many who previously couldn’t access decent clothing now could. The industry had changed. But high-end tailors didn’t vanish. They were disrupted, yes, but their value proposition became clearer. The contrast between mass-produced clothes and bespoke garments made their craftsmanship stand out even more.
I think the same will happen in insights.
Generative AI will democratize access to research. Small companies (who couldn’t afford it) will now have access to decent research and the benefits that come with it. Bigger companies will be able to explore more questions, faster, and surface ideas that would previously have been cost-prohibitive or impossible.
And the high-level insight work? The work that reframes thinking, uncovers emerging cultural truths, and builds powerful brands? That will still happen — mostly through live, human conversation and high-quality human deep thought. It will be assisted by AI, but it won’t be driven by it. And it will likely become even more valuable in contrast to the flood of average, commoditized, AI-driven output.
Ross McLean
Ross is a 25+ year seasoned professional in brand strategy, consumer insight, and creative technology application with a focus on generative AI. Ross has studied AI Leadership & Strategy, Advanced Prompt Engineering and AI-related Change Management at Vanderbilt University and DeepLearning.AI. Prior to his AI- Deep Dive, Ross founded the Over the Shoulder Smartphone Ethnography platform and was EVP and Director of Strategic Planning at Foote Cone & Belding Chicago, leading strategy for brands like Kraft Mac & Cheese and Coors Light. Ross played a pivotal role in FCB’s transformation from traditional to digital.