The power of real human data in AI market research

Every business needs data to make decisions, but getting it in the hands of the right people, in the moment they need it is a challenge shared by most.

Consumer research can provide clarity and direction for businesses on everything from media planning strategy to strategic partnerships, but many rely on research experts to source and translate it into actionable insights. Now with AI and synthetic data in the mix, market research is becoming faster, easier, and more accessible - but here’s the kicker, it’s only as good as the data it learns from. Training AI on high quality data from real consumers is where everyone can win.

How can AI be used for consumer research

AI is changing the game for businesses looking to understand their markets and customers better. Here’s a handful of ways popular AI models can be used to speed up the research process:

Scraping sources at speed

LLMs can scrape and summarize data from websites, social media platforms, and forums to give you quick insights about everything, from customer opinions to competitor strategies.

Faster survey design

Building your own surveys? With AI, you can design them in record time. Based on prompts on your target audience, objectives, and any additional context, it can build clear and relevant questions, ready for you to drop into your next survey.

Quick trend discovery

A key strength of AI is its ability to generate ideas and help set a direction for moving forward at pace. LLMs like ChatGPT and Gemini are great playgrounds for sense checking ideas and uncovering quick trends you can weave into existing strategies. When it comes to larger business decisions, there’s no substitute for high quality consumer research, but AI can certainly get the wheels in motion.

Survey analysis

AI simplifies survey analysis by quickly processing open-ended responses and by identifying key themes and trends, so you don’t have to. It highlights actionable insights, saving time, and enabling data-driven decisions.

Why real data matters

AI tools are undeniably powerful, but for businesses that want certainty, accuracy is everything. Quality of responses and accuracy top the list of priorities for AI adopters, highlighting the importance of robust data. Catch-all LLMs like ChatGPT and Gemini can do so much (and by that, we mean a lot), but when it comes to delivering high-quality, trustworthy insights, there’s no guarantee what you’ll get back is truly representative of your audience.

29% of AI adopters say quality of responses is most important to them when using AI.

Being able to trust the insights provided is crucial, which is why relying on generative AI tools that draw from a wide range of sources from across the web can be problematic. For businesses that need data to drive decision making, the risk of misinformation is high. And it’s a risk felt by many. Among non AI adopters, lack of trust and transparency is one of the biggest concerns their organization faces in introducing AI solutions into the workplace.

Alongside quality and accuracy, AI bias remains a concern for adopters, with 11% saying they’re most concerned about bias in training data.

As powerful as AI is for market research, it's only as good as the data it learns from, which is why high quality consumer data must remain at its core. Only AI solutions trained on real human data can provide insights that truly uncover the motivations, emotions, and contexts behind consumer behavior, and eliminate bias. This is where using AI market research assistants can make all the difference.

AI assistants for market research

So how can you combine the best of both worlds—the speed and agility of AI with the credibility of trusted market research? AI-powered market research assistants seamlessly blend advanced artificial intelligence with rigorous market research methods, delivering fast, reliable, and actionable insights businesses can depend on.

When implemented thoughtfully, AI in market research isn’t just a tool; it’s a teammate. One that helps you move faster, see clearer, and achieve more. Like a brilliant teammate, our AI assistant, GWI Spark offers reliability, speed, and high quality output. It can sift through thousands of data points in seconds, and draft actionable insights with speed and precision. The best part? It’s powered by GWI global data, based on answers from over a million people from around the world.

When it comes to market research, AI's potential lies in enhancing human insights, not replacing them. Working in tandem with human data to unlock transformative insights that drive real-world decisions is the real power of AI in market research.