By Crispin Beale, CEO, Insight 250
(Photos courtesy of Pixabay)
Like many before it, this past year has been one of twists and turns. As we progress further into the Age of AI, the excitement and concerns around the capabilities of the technology have emerged and will, no doubt, continue to evolve in the coming year.
I had the opportunity to chat with insight, research, and marketing leaders from around the world to get their thoughts on the influence, impact and insecurities AI is generating and what they see ahead in 2026 for both the good and bad of the technology as it advances. The question posed to these experts was, “Looking ahead to 2026, what aspects of technology excite you the most and concern you the most in terms of impact on the insights industry?”
Sharmila Das, Chairwoman, Purple Audacity, India
“Looking ahead to 2026, what aspects of technology excite you the most and concern you the
most in terms of impact on the insights industry?
“The integration of tools in terms of AI, eye tracking, and emotion tracking, all coming together and getting incorporated in normal browsing without the need to wear any device, is going to be the most exciting part in 2026. The normalisation of AI will begin in 2026.
“On the other hand, the scepticism in India with respect to AI facilitating agility and efficiency has
always been around the multiple languages and dialects spoken in this country. We pose a
unique problem to tech, and it will be interesting to see how tech and AI overcome the language
issue.”
Kingsley Wheaton, Chief Corporate Officer, BAT, United Kingdom
“As technology advances at an unprecedented rate, it’s critical that the profession keeps focusing on the ‘knowledge hierarchy’ – that is, driving from data to insights, insights to knowledge and, hopefully, knowledge to wisdom. In a world where insights – from such a diverse range of sources – are readily available, cutting through the clutter and providing clear, simple, actionable insights that help drive intuitive knowledge and wiser decision-making will be all-important.”
Sarah Ashley, EMEA Market Insights, Google, UK
“Excite: honestly, the efficiency gains we’re seeing with AI aren’t incremental; they’re transformative. I’m navigating much quicker turnarounds on work, and finding I have more time to focus on analysis and insight generation rather than the process of executing research, which is exciting! I’m also enjoying trialling new research techniques - at pace. In our research. We always ask for feedback, and I’ve been really encouraged by how much our participants are saying they’re enjoying taking part in the Research. That fills me with enthusiasm for the year ahead when it comes to data quality
and richness of insight.
“Concern: as video interviews and unstructured data become more popular in the industry, the depth of analysis AI can perform on a participant poses privacy questions. We need to ensure participants know how their ‘digital self’ is being dissected and that they consent knowingly. I also worry about the agency model and how rapidly change is occurring. I feel strongly this is such an important, exciting, and empowering time for the research industry - but we’ll need to move fast, be flexible, retain integrity, and continue to invest in human talent alongside these new tools.”
Mark Langsfeld, CEO, mTab & Co-Chair Insight250
“The emerging capabilities of AI were incredibly exciting to see firsthand over the course of this past year. Now, seeing these technological advancements make seismic impacts on businesses and their products is the most exciting aspect of what’s to come in the new year. From enhanced advertising integration and engagement for streaming entertainment platforms to elevated marketing campaign efficacy and product innovation for consumer goods brands, AI is laying the foundation for seismic shifts across many industries.
“The biggest area of concern with AI is the slow response of some brands to keep pace with these advancements, as they fall victim to the ‘build vs. buy’ debate or the inability to identify the ideal applications for the technology across their business. This coming year will shift AI from a competitive advantage to an industry standard for many segments, and those brands that stand by with the ‘wait and see’ approach are likely to quickly fall behind, which is what is already seeing happen in several industries.”
Herbert Hoeckel, Esomar Council Member / CEO of moweb research and AMR, Germany
“Like 2025, 2026 promises to be another big year of technological acceleration in our industry. I’m genuinely excited about innovations that help us work faster, uncover deeper patterns, and give stakeholders clearer, more actionable stories. These developments can make us sharper, more creative, and far more effective in driving impact. At the same time, my main concern is that we get distracted by hype and lose sight of what really matters: relevance, quality, and keeping humans firmly in the middle. Technology should amplify human understanding, not replace it. If we keep our heads on straight, stay critical and intentional about the tools we adopt, we can remain optimistic about the road ahead. We have to use new technology to make our work more meaningful, not just more automated.”
Jane Frost CBE, CEO, Market Research Society (MRS), UK
“If AI democratises, why can't we use that power to bust out of our normal channels of influence and take our insight to new markets? With AI in the toolkit, that is possible. Please let's end the tendency to regard AI as a result, just like any piece of machinery, it helps us build our product; but equally, just like any piece of machinery, it needs to be quality assured, rigorously maintained, and regularly checked - otherwise the results can be calamitous.”
Mary Ann Packo, CEO, Ipsos North America, USA
“We are very excited about how AI will make insights more accessible to stakeholders across our clients’ organizations. From rapid research with synthetic data and new ways of engaging with respondents to achieve more robust insights, we are excited for how the industry continues to innovate, and we are thrilled to be at the forefront of this evolution.”
Wim Hamaekers, Co-founder, One Inch Whale, Belgium
“Looking toward 2026, I’m most excited about how technology, especially AI, will continue to streamline the labour-intensive aspects of research execution. From data collection and fieldwork to analysis and reporting, there is enormous potential for greater speed, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and error reduction across both quant and qual. In particular, I’m eager to see how AI will manage the complexity of ever-changing ad-hoc quantitative datasets and support the delivery of high-quality analysis and reporting at scale.
“My biggest concern, however, is misuse. When teams deploy AI tools without sufficient human expertise or critical oversight, quality inevitably suffers. Ensuring that researchers remain engaged, informed, and accountable will be essential for safeguarding the integrity of our industry.”
James Endersby, CEO of Opinium and Founder of Significant Insights, UK
“Emerging technologies will give us richer data, faster analysis, and more personalised understanding than ever before. That’s the exciting part. The challenge is ensuring we use these tools responsibly, with transparency and rigour. The future of insight belongs to those who can combine technological innovation with human integrity.”
Paul Baines, Professor of Political Marketing, University of Leicester, UK
“Quantum computing excites me enormously. It has the potential to revolutionise the insights industry, particularly through vastly enhanced predictive analytics, allowing marketers to develop massively improved models for consumer behaviour prediction based on enormous datasets and therefore meet consumer, customer, and citizens' needs much better. But this technology could also be massively misused, especially by rogue states and malevolent actors, with worrying ethical and privacy implications and outcomes.”
Jean-Marc Léger, President / CEO, Léger, Canada
“Everything about AI excites me; it’s a truly fascinating tool that keeps expanding our possibilities every day. What concerns me, however, is the risk of losing the human touch, empathy, curiosity, and critical thinking, which remain at the heart of meaningful insights. Technology should never replace our humanity; it should amplify it.”
Sir Martin Sorrell, Founder & Executive Chairman, S4 Capital plc, UK
“More AI, blockchain, Metaverse, and, most of all, quantum computing. If you think AI has turned everything upside down, stand by for quantum. It will make other tech shifts look like a kid’s tea party.”
Fiona Blades, President & Chief Experience Officer, MESH Experience, UK
“I am most excited about the opportunity to create agents that 'bottle’ our IP and to use tech to explore new ways to create Share of Experience. However, I am worried that tech will make it harder for the next generation of insight specialists, with fewer being taken on as graduates. I’m also concerned that people will assume that AI can do more than it is currently qualified to do. We need humans in the loop, and when it comes to using insight to make major decisions, it is more important than ever to have compelling Insight Leaders putting customers at the heart of Decision-making.”
Finn Raben, Amplify, Netherlands
“AI is already providing us with more time for considered reflection and insight; I look forward to seeing how it can help us to scale qualitative research globally, and I sincerely hope that AI-supported research does not get mistaken for ‘cost-efficiency.’ Statistically programmed models take considerably more maintenance than is perhaps generally understood - let us learn our lessons from the online transition of many years ago!”
Danny Russell, Chief Customer Officer, IDX, Owner, DRC, United Kingdom
“EXCITE: Huge efficiencies in qualitative research. The ability for tech (especially AI) to handle transcription and localisation, tagging and theme extraction, and sentiment analysis will allow quallies to focus more on facilitation, as well as the commercial interpretation to create business impact.
CONCERN: Unless we step out of the shadows, I fear that stakeholders will readily buy into AI and synthetic data that is (perception is reality) better, faster, cheaper, with all the associated inherent biases and errors.”
Justine Clements, Insights Manager, Samsung Electronics, Australia
“AI gives us the rare chance to return to genuine experimentation, real hypothesis-driven inquiry at scale. What excites me is using AI to test thinking, not just to automate the doing. I have all the usual concerns about the industry, which risks a sprint towards efficiency over meaning, where the race for speed and low cost are confused with actual progress. The future of tech isn’t faster, it’s smarter, more thoughtful, and more human in how it learns.”
Marco Baldocchi, Founder & CEO, Emotivae Inc., USA
“What excites me is that we’re moving beyond asking questions, we’re reading emotions. The intersection of neuroscience, AI, and behavioral data is giving birth to a new kind of intelligence: one that senses before it measures. But what concerns me is our obsession with automation over awareness. If we don’t teach technology empathy, we’ll end up amplifying our biases at the speed of light. 2026 must not be about building faster systems; it must be
about building conscious ones. The future of insights isn’t artificial intelligence. It’s augmented humanity.”
Urpi Torrado, CEO Datum, Peru
“Looking ahead to 2026, I’m excited about how technology—especially conversational AI—will help us understand people more deeply, revealing emotions, motivations, and hidden drivers of behavior. I’m equally inspired by AI agents that can visualize and activate data, turning insights into real-time decisions and actions. However, my main concern is ethics: ensuring transparency, data integrity, and human oversight. Researchers must remain in control to verify that insights are grounded in real data, not hallucinations. The future of our industry depends on balancing innovation with responsibility—using technology to amplify human understanding, not replace it.”
Pavi Gupta, Insight250 Winner, USA
“Earlier this year, I gave a talk about how Insights WILL help AI! Believe that this continuous growth loop (insights enabling AI and AI augmenting Insights) forms an infinite growth loop. As I look to 2026 and beyond, I see the potential for even stronger collaboration across both AI and Insights domains. Together, we can shape a better future. It’s all about
unlocking the power of AND.”
Isabelle Fabry-Frémaux, Founder & CEO, ActFuture, France
“Looking toward 2026, I’m excited by the rise of augmented intelligence — systems that don’t replace but amplify human judgment. With major consultancies already showing how AI reshapes value creation, our industry faces a decisive bifurcation: machines mastering analytical tasks, humans mastering contextual ones. The opportunity lies in this new balance. My greatest concern, however, is complacency — believing that AI literacy alone is enough. We must also train for AI oversight: auditing outputs, detecting hallucinations, and preserving the critical thinking that defines true insight.”
Mark Ursell, EVP, QuMind by Largo.ai, UK
“I am not sure I have any concerns about technology and its impact, but I am excited about how quantum computing will not necessarily change market research but make it more accessible complex methodologies such as Conjoint and predictive modelling. I think it will also supercharge processing time, delivering richer, faster, and more robust understanding of consumers and markets that we have at the moment.”
Alex Hunt, CEO, Behaviorally, USA
“2026 will be the year that investment into new AI products and services yields a material dividend: for buyers who will gain exponentially improved solutions at a lower cost, for the industry that will never again lag the pace of commerce, and for those of us working in a sector that will see the continuation of an exciting transformation. The largest risk standing in our way is ourselves: the insights business must choose reinvention over familiarity and security.”
Melanie Courtright, Chief Strategy Officer, Sago, USA
“Looking ahead, I am excited about growth! Growth of the size and impact of the profession, and growth of technology that makes insights more immediate and actionable. What concerns me is the temptation to over-automate our interactions with people, or replace real human understanding with overly engineered data, and forget the human context behind the numbers. Insights are about people, and while tech can speed things up, we need to make sure it
amplifies empathy and expertise.”
Roland Abold, Managing Director, infratest dimap, Germany
“For 2026, I’m excited by technology’s potential to deepen real-time insights through advanced analytics and AI-driven modeling. Yet, I’m equally concerned about data integrity and transparency as automation scales. Balancing innovation with trust will define the future of market and social research and its role in public and corporate decision-making.”
Victoria Usher, CEO, GingerMay, UK
“What excites me: The integration of generative engines into the search journey will open new opportunities for earned visibility. Understanding how content is surfaced and synthesised by these engines will give PR and marketing teams a more direct line of sight to influence consideration and demand generation. “What concerns me: The landscape is still very volatile and changing rapidly. Monetisation models and ranking mechanisms could shift rapidly, which creates uncertainty for long-term PR marketing planning and measurement.”
Arundati Dandapani, Founder and CEO, Generation1.ca, Canada
“I am energized by the global momentum of our 150 billion dollar industry, from the rise of digital data analytics and AI enablement cited in industry reports to the shared focus on data quality, digital governance, privacy, and hybrid human-AI intelligence. In North America, ResTech has surpassed traditional research while AI adoption accelerates even as privacy regulations lag. APAC and Africa are shifting toward integrated, real-time decision systems, though growth and
socio-economic gains remain unevenly split. This promising yet polarized future propels Generation1.ca to equip diverse immigrants and organizations with future-ready capabilities and trusted communities for innovation.”
Mariela Mociulsky, CEO & Founder, Trendsity, Argentina
“Looking ahead to 2026, I think technology gives us an opportunity similar to the start of a new year: a blank page to strengthen and show our value. In the middle of all the noise, we can be the ones who set the table, curate what really matters, and connect scattered data into clear narratives that help clients see opportunities, build possible futures, and find meaningful answers. I also believe we have a real chance to capitalise on this moment. If we use these
tools well (combining their speed and processing power with the intellectual depth of our discipline) we can expand our influence, our interpretative strength, and especially, our strategic Relevance.
“My main concern is that, in the rush for speed, we might lose what gives our discipline its depth: direct observation, critical questioning, and cultural sensitivity. Technology will be truly transformative only if we keep our ethical compass and the interpretative craft that defines expert insight work.”
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A special thank you to all the leaders and innovators from around the world who have shared their views with me for this piece - it has been fascinating hearing your perspectives.
Here’s to an insightful 2026, everyone.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Crispin Beale - Chief Executive, Insight250, Senior Strategic Advisor, mTab; Worldwide CEO, IDX
Crispin is a marketing, data, and customer experience expert. Crispin spent over a decade on the Executive Management Board of Chime Communications as CEO of leading brands such as Opinion Leader, Brand Democracy, Facts International, and Watermelon. Before this, Crispin held senior marketing and insight roles at BT, Royal Mail Group, and Dixons. Crispin originally qualified as a chartered accountant and moved into management consultancy with Coopers & Lybrand (PwC). Crispin has been a Fellow, Board Director (and Chairman) of the MRS for nearly 20 years and UK ESOMAR Representative for over 10 years. Crispin is currently a Senior Strategic Advisor at mTab as well as worldwide CEO at IDX.