Articles

Interest in and use of synthetic data has evolved significantly over the past two years. Synthetic respondents, simulated personas, and AI-generated datasets are now common in conference discussions, product development, and professional dialogue. This shift makes it timely to revisit how synthetic data and synthetic participants intersect with the Insights Association Code of Standards and Ethics. The intent is not to slow innovation or endorse it uncritically, but to ensure that adoption is de...

Ensuring a positive participant experience not only supports better response rates, but promotes the accuracy and engagement that produce reliable insights. The Duty of Care principles in Section 1 of the Insights Association Code of Standards & Ethics (Transparency, Respect, Fairness, and Honesty) are a practical roadmap for obtaining better data and maintaining the public trust on which our profession depends. Below, we examine where each principle might be violated, connect it to the Code, an...

A pair of bills in Minnesota that would have restricted the use of AI-like automated decision systems regarding research subjects who receive incentives, and added a new layer of data privacy restrictions, have been defeated. H.F. 4445 and S.F. 4689 would have been enforced via private litigation, creating significant legal risks for organizations conducting market research, analytics and insights in Minnesota.

As AI tools get faster and more capable, our responsibility to ask harder questions at the start of a search only increases.

California A.B. 2027, legislation opposed by the Insights Association that would have prohibited the use of personal information provided by any research subjects (if they received an incentive for participation) for purposes of (1) training artificial intelligence (AI) systems or tools or (2) building synthetic data, personas or respondents, has died.

As the time for summer vacations approaches, insights leaders tell us what aspects of market research organizations need to get away from to enhance their efficiency and elevate their impact.

In May, the Insights Association advanced advocacy on federal privacy legislation, pushed back against restrictive state and federal AI proposals, defended the future of the census, and rallied support for landmark California taste testing research legislation, all while helping members navigate an increasingly complex compliance landscape.

This approach bridges the gap between marketing’s need for scalable, actionable personas and UX’s commitment to deep user understanding.

The profession is setting its own standards through self-regulation, and the way to protect that autonomy is to use the Code proactively, early and often, as a competitive feature rather than compliance overhead.

An excerpt from David R. Morse's new book, Polycultural Intelligence: Eight Rules for Connecting with Generation Alpha.