AI is no longer a differentiator. It is the new baseline. Karen Lynch and Lenny Murphy unpack the signals reshaping the insights industry, from major funding behind synthetic audiences and digital twins to shifting expectations around measurement, activation, and strategic foresight.

As tools converge and competition tightens, the conversation explores what will truly set insights teams apart in an AI-first future.

Can AI make you more valuable by working faster, or does judgment matter more than speed? Karen Lynch and Susan Griffin tackle a viral debate about AI's impact on professional careers, then connects advertising measurement principles to event strategy and breaks down the three types of AI reshaping research: generative, predictive, and suggestive.

The conversation examines AI-moderated qualitative research, fraud detection consolidation, and new tools from Nielsen and Listen, while raising critical questions about agent training and transparency.

The innovation landscape in qualitative research is at a crossroads. AI moderation is gaining ground as a "good enough" alternative to traditional methods, promising efficiency but raising questions about lost emotional depth. Meanwhile, the Insight Innovation Competition is calling for fresh ideas that challenge conventional thinking, because breakthrough innovation isn't always about technology. New leadership at the Insights Association brings renewed energy to navigating privacy regulations, while strategic investments signal a shift toward platforms delivering truly actionable insights. But perhaps most provocative: AI agents are now making autonomous decisions and forming communities without human intervention, forcing us to confront fundamental questions about the future role of human judgment in both research and everyday life.