Boring AI vs. Exciting Humans

Travelling in the US is always interesting. I know of no other place that has such diverse and divided realities. What always surprises me is how little interaction there is between these realities. It might be due to convenience, status, fear for safety, and in some ways racism too. In theory, this fragmented cultural context should be great for exploratory, exciting research.

My last stop was IIeX. It's exhilarating to see how far we've come technologically. Broadly, the booths and talks suggested that the more data you can digest, the better your insights get. An AI summary of the talk titles reads: "Driving the Next Wave: Empowering Consumer Insights with AI, Ethnographic Data, and Trend Intelligence for Strategic Innovation."

The mission, not the tools

My concern is that our tools outshine research's primary mission: to understand and empathise with the human condition in all its complexity. Vast sets of data generated and analysed by machines lead to reactive, optimising decisions instead of bold, creative leadership that disrupts and turns the page of the brand narrative.

My sense is that we researchers need to go out and tell stories of insight and impact. Discovering human truths is more exciting than boring optimisation.