Ho w m u c h s h o u l d we b e l o o k i ng b e h i n d u s t o p l a n ?

W e hav e been doi ng al l k i nds of c ool ( and ad m i t t edl y f un) anal y s i s us i ng A I and hav e been t es t i ng out and us i ng n ew wa y s to appl y t h is a m az i ng t ec hnol ogy . I t h as been g r eat r e adi ng, hea r i ng, and t a lk in g about how AI is e m pow er i ng us to unc o v er new and mo re pr of ound i ns i ght s i nt o t he behav i or s and opi ni ons of peopl e and bus i nes s es f r om o ur r es e ar c h. W e hav e r ec en t l y s een s om e e x c it in g ex am pl es of AI b ei ng us ed i n ar ea s s u c h as aut o m at ed c odi ng and anal y s i s o f q ual i t at i v e and quan t i t a t i v e r es ea r c h out put s and i nt egr a t i ng and anal y z i ng m ul t i pl e dat a s t r ea m s t o gener at e i ns i ght s . I t ’ s go t us t hi nk i ng t hough – wh i le t he i dea of get t i ng mo re fr o m w hat yo u al r eady hav e ( and get t i ng it fa s t e r ) is hi ghl y appeal i ng, do we ri s k l os i ng f o c us on t he h er e and now , and i ndeed, t he f u t ur e?

R ecent I nnova t i ons in AI

F ir s t ly , s om e mo re on t he r ec en t i nnov a t i on w e h av e s een… L ik e m any age nc i es , we s it on va st a m ount s of t ex t , da t a and c ont en t gat her ed f r om t he nu m er ous s t udi es w e hav e r un ov er t he y ea r s . Thes e c oul d be f r om o ne - of f o r t r ac k i ng s t udi es ; f r o m c l os ed or open - ended r es pons es ; and f r om c har t s , t ex t , i m ages , o r v i deos . W e s i t on a t r eas u r ed t r o v e of i nf or m a t i on w hi c h p r ev i ous l y w e w oul d oc c as i onal l y di p i nt o i n r es pons e t o a c l i ent r eques t ( or f o r our ow n c ur i os i t y ) , t o s ee i f w e c oul d unear t h a p r ev i ous l y hi dden i ns i ght or l ear ni ng t ha t c oul d be r el ev an t t o t he n eed at hand.

In t he r ec en t M RS onl i ne s em i nar “ AI : P ow er i ng Up C ons um e r I ns i ght s , ” we l ear n t how K ok or o hav e been us i ng A I to c o d i fy , ta g and anal y z e a m as s i v e t r anc he of hi s t o r i c da t a, t e x t , and v i deo f r o m an ongoi ng t r ac k i ng s t udy . We a ls o l ea r nt ho w C am b r i dge De s ig n P ar t ne r s hi p is us i n g AI to anal y z e t he m a s si ve a m ount s of

us age d at a gener a t ed by s ens o r s e m bedded in p r oduc t s t h ey ar e t es t i ng, wh ic h in t ur n c an be l ook ed at al ongs i de s el f - r epo r t ed i nf or m a t i on f r o m us e r s of t hos e pr oduc t s ( e . g. ho w t hey f el t about t hei r ex per i enc e of us i ng t he pr odu c t ) wit h t he f i nd i ngs dev el oped in t o per s onas wh ic h c an pr edi c t how peopl e c oul d behav e i n t he f ut u r e.

T he L im it a t io n s of H i st or i cal Da t a

Thes e ar e not abl e ex am pl es of u s i ng t he pow er o f A I t o enhanc e our unde r s t andi ng of w hat w e al r eady hav e, and ( pot en t i al l y ) us i ng i t t o p r edi c t w hat c oul d happen i n t he f ut u r e . I t does po s e t he ques t i on t hough abo ut how m uc h we c an r e ly on k now i ng w hat has happened in t he pas t to pr edi c t wh a t is goi ng to happen i n t he f ut u r e, or t o par aph r as e t he age - ol d di s c l ai m e r s e en al ongs i de any f i nanc i al i nv es t m en t i nf o r m a t i on, i s pas t per f or m a nc e i ndi c at i v e o f f ut u r e r es ul t s ?

The i ns i ght s i ndus t r y i s e x c ept i onal l y good a t t es t i ng and v al i dat i ng hy pot hes es on behal f o f i t s c l i ent s t h r ou gh p ri ma ry r es ear c h . Bu t el s ew her e, we ex pec t to s ee AI - bas ed t ool s t r ai ned on h is t o r ic da t a, bei ng us ed to pr ov i de ans w er s to t hes e hy pot hes es wit h o u t c ons i der at i on of c ur r e nt and fu tu r e co n t e xt s. The s ig n if ic a n t r is k he r e i s m i s s i ng f r o m t he c r i t i c al f ac t o r s bel ow w hi c h af f ec t how peopl e t hi nk and be hav e, and w hi c h hi ghl i ght how w e need t o a c c ount f or di f f e r ent s c ena r i os i n our t hi nk i ng and pl anni ng.

C at egor y evo l ut i on : Ho w has t he c at ego r y or r a nge of c at egor i es c hanged? Ta s t es c hange as c a t egor i es em e r ge, m at u r e, and di e , t hi nk 3 D TV s , di gi t al m us i c dow nl oadi ng or f ak e m eat .

C om pet i t i on , M er ger s and A cqui s i t i ons : Ha v e c ont em po r ar y b r ands ent er ed t he ma rk e t ? Ar e t h er e b r ands w hi c h no l onger e x i s t , or w hi c h hav e been a c qui r e d by a c om pet i t or ?

R egul at o r y changes : H as t he c at ego r y or v er t i c al been i m pac t ed by new r egul at i ons , e . g. , gov er n m en t e nf or c ed c hanges to w hol es al e p r ic in g wh ic h af f ec t r et ai l pr i c i ng, or t he wa y pr oduc t i nf o r m a t i on m us t be s how n on pac k a gi ng or i n adv er t i s i ng?

R eput at i ona l changes : Ha v e any br ands or pr o m i nent i ndi v i dual s s uf f er ed r epu t at i onal dam age be c aus e of an i nc i dent , e . g. , an oi l s pi l l or f i nanc i al m i s c onduc t ?

T he I m por t ance of Fr e sh P er spect i ves

We s houl d st r e ss t h er e is gr ea t bene f i t to be had f ro m di ggi ng deeper in t o w hat we al r e ady hav e ; it hel ps us un der s t and peopl e and bus i nes s es be t t er a nd i nf or m s our i deas and hy pot hes e s about w hat w i l l happen nex t . W e al s o hav e t he added benef i t of bei ng abl e t o do t hi s f a s t er and m o r e ac c ur a t el y t han e v er b ef o r e v i a t he t r an s f o r m a t i onal t ec hnol ogy t ha t i s A I .

H ow ev er , we s houl d nev er f o r get t hat peo pl e, bus i nes s es , c at egor i es , and m ar k et s c ons t ant l y ev ol v e , and it is our r o le as r es ear c he r s to re ma i n c ur i ous , be a g ile and c ons i s t ent l y s eek t he m os t c ont e m por a r y and r epr es en t at i v e v i ew o f o ur buy er s , us e r s , and audi enc es t hat onl y f r es h r es ear c h c an br i ng.

P l eas e c ont ac t us f or mo re det ai l s