Tech Is Moving Fast—Can Research Keep Up?

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AI is moving fast—and market research is racing to keep up. In this episode, Lenny and Karen break down the mergers, product launches, and ethical debates reshaping our industry. From digital twins to smart glasses, this one’s packed with insights on where we’re headed—and what it means for researchers.

Many thanks to our producer, Karley Dartouzos. 

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Transcript

Lenny Murphy: And we’re live. All right, it's kind of weird for some reason I see myself on the left on the right which is just really throwing me today.

Karen Lynch: I don't know, that's so funny. Yeah.

Lenny Murphy: Yeah, you're on the left for me too. You got here first. That's why First but you always anyway if you guys are seeing this this way It's the little things Wait, no, I'm old. I like things this way. Oh my gosh, that's hilarious.

Karen Lynch: Absolutely. We were just talking.

Lenny Murphy: We have so much to talk about and we actually wish we kind of didn't because there's some topics that just really deserve almost the whole show. Yeah, yeah.

Karen Lynch: For real. Like, like, yeah, for real. For real. But yeah, we'll do the best we can. Right. We'll do the best we can.

Lenny Murphy: We can. There are a lot. We will give everything justice. Yeah. Yeah. Speaking of which, just things moving really quickly, guys, take my word for it, the GRIT Report is going to be released in early June. And then the GRIT Forum, Karley, if you throw that up. When we talk about the pace of change, and we're measuring that quantitatively, what we do generally is measuring kind of qualitatively, right? We're just kind of connected dots, all this stuff. In this, this GRIT Report, the difference, the this report, we're two a year, the difference between last fall of the Business Innovation Report on key metrics that we trend every time, like business outlook, etc, etc, in this one, are massive. So the, it will put a lot of what we've been talking about in context, the GRIP Forum is where we sit down and talk about, we'll publish the report, then we have the GRIP Forum, we'll talk about these things with our panels, Karen and I are going to tag team on the panels, that'll be fun and great, right, Karen? We agreed on that, right?

Karen Lynch: I think we did.

Lenny Murphy: I think we decided we were going to split it up.

Karen Lynch: I don't think we have a real life, anyway, people like, yes, whatever we need, you know, we will get it done. We will tag team we are a team. And we will get the best possible scenario in place for our partners.

Lenny Murphy: Absolutely. But the discussion of the impact of changes, it is significant. You guys need to get the report, you need to attend a GRIT Forum. Because we have data that backs up everything that we've been talking about. And now as we move forward, it will just add more fuel to the fire. So, yeah, yeah. Very cool. Very cool.

Karen Lynch: And, and I think we do just, we might as well plug while we're plugging, if that's OK. Karley, do you have any you want also? So like, we are, one of the reasons why, you know, our brains are in a lot of places is, you know, as Lenny's getting ready for the GRIT Forum, We are also in full, like we are, you know, less than a month away from our IIEX Europe event. So it's going to be just another one of those, like not to be missed events. And we're, you know, we're looking forward to welcoming all the speakers and all of the chairs and all of the attendees and all of the sponsors and, you know, having another stellar event in Amsterdam. So thank you for sharing that. I think, you know, there's, you know, you know what, there's a code on the exchange. Yeah, there you go, Karley, thank you. There's a code, use the exchange. Is that exchange 30? The font is small for me. And get yourself a discounted ticket and come join us in Amsterdam.

Lenny Murphy: So. Yes, yes. And get the European perspective on all of these things that are happening. All right, shall we dive in?

Karen Lynch: Yeah, we have to dive. And I think we really should start with, you know, this announcement from, you know, three, it's funny, three, kind of three companies that have been, you know, kind of in our, just in our ecosystem for a while, Rival Technologies and Reach 3, of course, have already kind of linked themselves, but now Angus Reid Group is a part of the Rival Group as well. So Angus Reid, who, you know, I wish I had pulled up the episode of the podcast or the CEO series. I don't remember, you just interviewed him pretty recently. Last year, I think. Last year. Oh, my time flies, man. It's not okay.

Lenny Murphy: It does.

Karen Lynch: Feels like that was a week ago. Anyway, they now have one of the largest independent research firms with over $ 60 million in projected revenues. So hats off for that kind of merger. Consolidation, I think maybe is a better way to... Consolidation, yeah.

Lenny Murphy: I was like, what do we call that? It's really... They're always linked. Yeah. So full disclosure, their client, the on the Gentoo side, but that they've always kind of were this way that sample data, plus rival the proprietary data collection and those solutions. And then the service component of the full service with Reach 3 combining those into a data and technology driven service organization is absolutely on trend with where things are going. For going ahead and just putting it together and saying, yeah, we're all one big happy family. Literally, when you talk about the Read's, right?

Karen Lynch: So one big happy family. I know, right? Yeah, yeah. I know, right? It's very interesting. That's interesting. But I think what's interesting, we have another kind of acquisition happening, which is MSQ acquiring The Forge. And shout out to Danielle Todd, who is one of our chairs, who does an amazing job stepping up for us each time. She'll be in Europe also, and she was just in North America, and she's super helpful to us all the time. But I think there's something to be said, if you don't know MSQ, they're a kind of marketing communications organization, right? So partnering with The Forge, which is a strategic consultancy, innovation and strategy. And I just think that if you are a consultancy, this is a good time to be a consultancy because all of the other things happening in the ecosystem are not going to be driving change unless there's that consultative view and strategic view of everything. So I just kind of look at these two and I'm like, good time to be in a consultancy. I would agree.

Lenny Murphy: I think that the, even as we, and this does stand out in the grid data as well, right? Technology's changing everything, process, right? We talk about that forever, we'll get more into it here. But human expertise is to tie it all together and make sense of it is still needed. But the business model for the consultancies are certainly changing. This would be an example tying into a broader spectrum. So we're seeing it all shift in real time in great detail. Yeah.

Karen Lynch: And we'll get to some of those technological changes but we still have other kinds of pairings and partnerships to dig into. So let's talk about a few of those, too. I don't know enough about data diggers. But data diggers and Brain Active have teamed up. So now they have kind of an AI-driven research platform in there.

Lenny Murphy: What else do you know about them together? No shade on anyone. I would have thought of them as primarily kind of traditional field services type of companies. That's where they kind of grew up, but they've embraced AI. They're combining, I think they would probably still think of themselves as field services, but they're using AI to improve the process to make that incredibly efficient in leveraging the two pieces of their capabilities, day diggers with sample and panel.

Karen Lynch: Which is what everybody, haven't we been talking about this too, which everybody needs to be doing.

Lenny Murphy: Where your inefficiencies are so you can be a smarter organization and use the tool or tools or whichever tool you can you can get but that's absolutely the name of the game right now is is boosting that efficiency so yeah absolutely and kind of related Havas and YouGov their data sharing partnership so you know leaning into the data assets that YouGov has to draw Havas primarily a kind of marketing ad agency you know type of of organization and leveraging those assets in new ways. I'm sure AI is behind that in some form or fashion. They didn't necessarily lead with it, but I'm quite certain that it's driving the Havas business.

Karen Lynch: Uh, so, and what I, what I liked about this, not what I liked about this, that's not really the right thing. One of the things that made me say, Hmm, when I was reading this press release, um, is, is this idea that this is not necessarily a new partnership, right? So this partnership, they said like they, I think they started to talk about their partnership a year ago, but they're basically, I think there's something very smart about communicating these types of partnerships, because lots of organizations have them, right? And they don't really talk about them very much, but what does this do? This puts them in front of us and makes us think about them and has us talking about them, and isn't that the work of PR? So it's no surprise, because they have us as a marketing communication partner. So, of course, they have the engine in place to do this. And so does YouGov. Actually, we've seen that with recent YouGov activity. But they're really just, you know, they collaborate on studies. And so, if you have people that you collaborate with, leverage those dynamic relationships because it says something about, it says something. If you maintain a partnership over time and you have that kind of longevity, that becomes a benefit to people. To learn about, like we've been partners for more than just one round or for more than just one study. Like show us the depth of the relationship and the partnership, because we can glean some information from that. Yes.

Lenny Murphy: And it shows, you know, the era of synergies maybe is kind of where we are, right? How these relationships unlock, you know, I always talk about the Reese's cups, right? So this is one of those Reese's cup scenarios where they're creating something new by leveraging the two things. I think we'll see more and more of that. Another one, VideoAmp and Captify. A little more interesting here to link ad exposure to search behavior, which starts getting to attribution.

Karen Lynch: Yeah, there was a code in this that says by directly linking ad exposure to real-world search behavior, we can now show how campaigns generate interest and intent, which if anybody pays attention to search. It's all about intent far earlier and more accurately than traditional brand lifter conversion metrics. So not everybody, you know, is necessarily in that business. But if you're an advertiser, right, and you are trying to pay attention to that, you know, kind of what that user intent is, or buyer intent. Yeah, I just thought this one was really interesting. And then, of course, in this article that you had shared, I think, about advertisers increasingly turning to Nielsen alternatives. So there's an article with an e-marketer, I think it was an e-marketer, anyway, sharing results of a study where 85% of US brand and agency leaders are rating some of these alternatives to Nielsen as effective or sometimes even more effective. And those are people like Video Amp, Comscore, iSpot TV. I think that's interesting. It's the idea that you used to be like, you know, Nielsen was it, and not that they're not dominant, but there are other ways to measure. And anyway, I just thought that was really interesting too. So for all the advertisers listening, you know, if you see yourself in that data. Yeah.

Lenny Murphy: I mean, you know, it's a fragmented ecosystem. I mean, ad delivery now is across, you know, a million different channels. And networks and, you know, because people personalize all of their, are you on TikTok or whatever, right? Combining all that is very challenging for any one person or any one organization. So it does require a lot of different solutions to try and capture more of a holistic view so advertisers know where their money is being spent well.

Karen Lynch: So. Yeah. Yeah. And there isn't one single indicator of success or effectiveness. You know, right now you might be effective in one area and not in another. So you're going to have to have these fit for purpose solutions. Yes.

Lenny Murphy: And as we get to, when we get to the big stuff, the era of personalization, we ain't seen nothing yet. So, but we're about to. Yeah. Yeah. All right.

Karen Lynch: Well, let's share. We have, we have like three product launches that I think are worth talking about this week. And, um, and then we'll get into the tech, you know, do our stretching before we get into that. But, um, why don't you? This was very interesting to me. So we have an article that we'll share on Axios. It's called Generation Lab. It's a new platform, Verb AI, letting Gen Z users monetize their own personal data by creating digital twins for real-time queryable insights. So it's making this shift from traditional polling to behavior-driven research with participant compensation. New model to look at. Gen Z is like, sure, I'm in there. If they can earn, they are willing to share their personal, like, look, don't just take my data, but they have some, you know, autonomy over it, some command over it. And they're like, yeah, you can compensate me and I'll share. Very interesting model right there.

Lenny Murphy: Well, absolutely. And that they're not necessarily, it's not just, it's not this, I'm not sharing my time because there's there, it's the digital twin. It is the avatar, the person, you know, that the agent, uh, that is doing that for them. So they are monetizing their data via an agent. It's based on real people, real data, and that's making money for them. So we've talked about these concepts for quite some time. Here we go. And of course, it's Gen Z that's doing that. Of course. Of course.

Karen Lynch: I actually love this. I love this for them because you know what this means for them collectively as a generation, because they are the generation that is coming to this place in life where they won't know another way of working or being or existing as they are in this adult space. This is what it is. My daughter was just telling me this morning that she was looking at my daughter-in-law's phone and on her lock screen, there's the link to chat GPT. This is their way of life now. This is just what they do.

Lenny Murphy: It's who they are. And again, I ain't seen nothing yet when we get there. Another great launch.

Karen Lynch: Put a pin in that. Put a pin in that.

Lenny Murphy: You guys, we want to get through this stuff, and it's important, but there's a whole other thing that we really want to get to.

Karen Lynch: But wait, there's more. But wait, there's more.

Lenny Murphy: Yes, yes. Fuel Cycle, which we had spoken about recently, is they launched a whole new AI an agentic model for their interface, and now they've launched the FC UX, User Experience Research Platform, still baked into their agentic model. So they're expanding. When they acquired Get Curious, they've now expanded that out and are launching that as a whole other UX-specific solution. So that's pretty cool. Shout out to them. Hey, Marvin, I know the new entrant in the fully AI moderated interviewer. This is a little bit different, it's a voice tool. And it does IDI scales, the way I would describe it. Because it is a voice interview.

Karen Lynch: I just think it's interesting because it is the most, it's like now all of a sudden it's like, it's the most obvious use case. Like, yes, of course. Yes. Of course. This is how we're I mean, working with, you know, with these LLMs is all your conversations can be , so I shouldn't say that. It's very easy for me to see this application as a qualitative researcher. Yes. It's, you know, it started with could it do a discussion guide? Sure. Could it probe? Sure. Could we train it to probe? Yes. I mean, it's a very obvious use case. And I feel my heart goes out to qualitative research right now. Researchers right now, especially those who are younger in their career, earlier in their careers, as they're trying to navigate this space, because they haven't yet gotten to that strategic consultative level, right? They are trying to execute Qual at a pace, you know, where they're learning their skills at the same time as the machines are learning those skills. So that's who I really have a lot of empathy for, kind of the younger moderators who I really encourage to lean into usage of these tools, and how they can fit into a portfolio that you offer.

Lenny Murphy: Yeah, well, quant researchers as well, right? I mean, I wrote a questionnaire this week, for the first time in forever. And while I'm writing, I'm thinking, why? Why?

Karen Lynch: I know.

Lenny Murphy: Why am I doing this? I mean, it's only because I was working with one specific company that had a capability I needed, which was a traditional survey structure. And while I'm writing, I'm thinking, this is, I don't know. Or that I'll never write a quantitative questionnaire like this again.

Karen Lynch: And I think that that's one of the, you know, there was a woman that I worked with a few years ago and one of the things she always said, she was like, I just need to always see a draft and then she can iterate on the draft. I just need to see the draft. And then I can say, oh no, that question's gotta be worded this way. Like she was a research director. Anyway, that was kind of her, that was her MO. She's like, I have to see the draft questions so I can then say, right, I don't need this question. I need this question. And, and that's the, That is the leg up that we have right now. You may not write the entire thing, but if you get a solid draft in place, then it's going to be way stronger than it could have been if you were just trying to piecemeal other questions that you have from other places.

Lenny Murphy: That's a leg up. Why wouldn't you? But what I was thinking was, yes, but I was thinking more of a form factor. It was an online survey. And hey, Marvin, well, the reality is I more likely could have accomplished the exact same goals utilized on a platform like that from a form factor, which takes us to. So this OpenAI acquires Johnny, Joni, I'm not quite sure how to pronounce it. I'm gonna say Johnny, Johnny Ives startup. Yeah, Johnny Ivey, is that it? Okay, thank you. I don't know for sure, but that's how I would have, that's. The guy that designed the iPhone, right?

Karen Lynch: The guy that designed the iPhone. It is in case you doubt his credibility.

Lenny Murphy: Yes. $6.5 billion acquisition for a one-year-old company that they already have a stake in to create new AI hardware devices. And that's the takeaway. It is open AI working with a design expert to create the next generation of consumer-based.

Karen Lynch: A design expert who anticipated, who created the iPhone anticipating what we couldn't even see before we realized how much we needed the iPhone, right? It was a design that was very user-friendly, anticipating user needs, giving us tools that we didn't know we wanted. I think that's what stands out in this concept is anticipation of devices that we don't even necessarily want. And then link that with these other two things. And I'm like, we are going to be in a frontier of devices. We are.

Lenny Murphy: Well, let's hope it's because what I don't know about you, but I'm reading this and we're thinking, especially that when their deal was to, you know, so he created the iPhone and now he wants to destroy the screen. So, that is their intention, right? Is to decouple us from the screen. Now they've been very hush hush, right? And there's people who said, Oh, it's going to look like this. And who knows what it's gonna be. But what I think is a safe bet is that it'll be a new technology, again, attempting to change the form factor of how we interact with technology, driven by a very sophisticated AI that is absorbing tons of information, and we'll get into that even more in a minute. So look at the Hey Marvin thing, right? So if we're decoupling from screens, we are likely moving back from an insight standpoint where one, we're just expanding the types of data that is available without ever needing to ask a question at an individual level. And then when we do ask a question, it is likely going to be highly individualized AI driven in voice driven, rather than solely graphically or screen driven. And guys, we're kind of shipping this stuff next year. They're moving fast. They're right and the amount of money put into this is not some you know. It's like when they did the pin last year. Yeah, that was the experiment. It's like you know, the Google Glass that was an experiment that was to kind of see so now Production, right?

Karen Lynch: So we've got two and Karley could share just sort of both of these, you know, both Apple and Google are, you know, are also starting to share their glasses, right, their smart glasses. So, you know, obviously, Apple's will be AI, you know, Apple kind of in the Apple family. So they have smart glasses that are going to launch in 2026. Google's are going to be Android XR smart glasses. So they're talking about that. So what I keep thinking, Lenny, because both those and then in partnership with kind of what I what I, you know, when I was leaning into that talk about, that Meta gave about the Meta Ray-Ban glasses. You know, the idea is non-intrusive, seamless, you know, it's happening. You can hear it. There's translation involved. There's photography involved. There's AI involved. So think about the next level of tech there. And I just keep thinking earbuds, like I go right to secret agents, like secret agents used to have the ability to hear things that nobody else could hear, and it was totally invisible. I'm like, what is coming? If it's not screen-based, what is the tech that consumers will be able to use? And how will this impact society? Of course, this is one conversation that we can always have, maybe offline. But also, as researchers and people who study human behavior and then also try to influence human behavior and leverage human behavior for research purposes. What's all that going to do? Because if we now have many kinds of glasses and that lowers prices to get into more people's hands, that reality is coming, I think, much faster. If they are all racing, there is a reason. Right.

Lenny Murphy: Well, in the opening, I think they've especially said this is not a way they've, they've, the only thing I've talked about is it's going to be something in your pocket and it's going to, you're going to take it out and set it next on your desk.

Karen Lynch: I know whatever that is. So a little, is it going to be, is it going to be a little, a little friend? I don't know, but, but maybe it's a little AI friend.

Lenny Murphy: Yes. But into your point, and we go all the way back to the beginning of the grid, a tipping point was reached. And it was reached between fall of last year and spring of this year. We quantified it in the insights industry via grit. We see it now with this acceleration of next generation technology. And then that brings us, well, let's talk about the Google thing and then we talk about the UBS, because Google had their big IO event this week and they unleashed. I'm going to say it. Here's the first time. The level of what the fuck with what they released was mind-blowing. I know.

Karen Lynch: And there were a couple of videos every time they showed up. So what we're talking about, just Lenny, I tend to jump ahead and say, can you believe it, without giving the back story. So they have these tools that are, and actually, I'm just realizing, I don't have the name of the tools, but it was basically allowing you to use voice in your, so not only has video production gotten, um, gotten, yes. Yes.

Lenny Murphy: Right now they're speaking.

Karen Lynch: So the video clips every now and then somebody has shared them in my LinkedIn newsfeed and they, not only do they look very human, these digitally created human beings, but now they're speaking. Right. And, um, and if you're looking at them and it's a short video, there is no way you can tell that that's not that that is not real. And I was sharing them with one of my one of my sons who's home right now. And he was like, I don't want to look at that. I don't want to look at that. That's so creepy. Like he can't believe the level that we've gotten to with integrating the voice. Video quality has gotten there. Now we're integrating voice. There is no way to tell that this is AI generated fit for purpose, right? Maybe this isn't full fledged but if you do this in such a way that creates a short video, it could be. Think of the impact of advertising.

Lenny Murphy: So you and I shared, not something we would share here, but it was a, some guy put together and he said, Oh, I make commercials. I used to do this for $500,000. I did this for 500. Right. And it was a fake commercial using the limit of its still, there's still a problem with it. We're not a problem, but it's still limited to like short segments, but they weren't commercials. Commercials are often designed that way, right? The vignettes, you know, and 500 bucks. Now think about from a research standpoint, that well, well, one step back, if you can create an ad for 500 bucks, in a few minutes, yeah, are you really going to test that? Or are you just going to do live A B testing all the time? Yeah, right. So there's a question, or in that type of technology, are you going to be in a focus group? Or are you going to allow people to come together and in real time optimize and create.

Karen Lynch: The ad costs cheaper than the focus group for heaven's sake.

Lenny Murphy: I didn't think about that. You're exactly right.

Karen Lynch: So that's going to do that. Like, really? That's, you know, but think about the further fragmentation, right of this.

Lenny Murphy: So from a media standpoint, we continue to have this incredibly fragmented, this type of technology when it, when it is, when the only thing right now is processing power and bandwidth. That is it. So that's going to be addressed, you know, it is being addressed now. So think about the possibilities of customized content. I'm sorry, Hollywood, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes right now, right? I mean, the ability- But that, I think we're still a little bit away, a little bit away from that.

Karen Lynch: I don't know. Coming full circle. Think about the email. That you may get with, you know, let's put Pepsi out there, right? And, you know, and all of a sudden it's like, hey, Lenny, and now your email is talking to you. And there's a person on the screen talking to you about wouldn't you like to share this or actually Coca-Cola, I'll use Coke because we were just talking about this. You know, my son had a Coke at dinner last night and he said, oh, here, gee, this is for you. And he handed it because it said, you know, sis, it was one in that ad campaign of, or in that, you know, whether it's like sharing with a friend or whatever. So like, imagine you get an email and it's like, you know, from Coke saying, wouldn't you want to share this with a colleague? And, and now, but they're talking to you, your email is talking to you with this video snippet in a personalized way. So that's that game changing for personalization and customization, which is what you were leading to kind of at the beginning of this is, you know, that's, but also for meeting entertainment.

Lenny Murphy: I mean, all of that, All this technology leads to, to your point, a data-driven, if it has the right data, feeding it. So the data requirement is still gonna be there. It's only gonna grow to drive infinite possibilities of personalization, whether it is for advertising or marketing, adaptive surveys, research, or media consumption, right? Choose your own adventure on steroids. And what does that look like from a marketer's standpoint? I think it still goes back to that first part around data, which says right back to the research industry, the better off we engage, have mechanisms to engage with consumers in high quality ways to build things like generation labs has built, those types of solutions, then the better off we are going to be to help drive that because data is the oil. Right.

Karen Lynch: And if you have a segmentation study, right, if you, if you've, if you've segmented your market and you understand your personas and you can speak to them, right. And, and, you know, kind of dissect your market and then send them custom, you know, personal personalized is one, one aspect, but customized for a segment also. And you go back to that $500. How many people could you mail something to, right? Or reach with something that's very customized for a segment even, and you're doing it for not a humongous budget. Suddenly, all of that segmentation feels very much like, wait a minute, there's a use case for this segmented population that I can actually afford to act on. For not just the big players.

Lenny Murphy: So Mr. Lynch, hello, Mr. Lynch. He points out, the tech is cool, but a well-done bad story is still junk. Creators will be unlocked and empowered. I actually agree with that. I think that more people will be more creative and able to do stuff. However, I haven't tried this term out in a while. The dystopian hellscape component of this is, you think about that level of personalization driven with a bad agenda. From a manipulation standpoint, think about the algorithm on whatever your favorite social media platform is that is serving you nothing but custom short junk over and over and over again, which I'm gonna argue that it already does, right? So there are, we are in, not entering, we are in the brave new world. So these are considerations you have to think about as well, is that we see the possibilities of all of this cool stuff and there is, it's a limited possibility. It's amazing. We're entering a Star Trek world, right? But we could also go into the Minority Report world very easily.

Karen Lynch: I don't know if our audience can pick up on this, but every now and then when you do that, I do get literally and physically deflated. I'm like, come on.

Lenny Murphy: We have, because this is the bigger segment. Of business, but there are these big social, cultural issues that we have to grapple with because it can be scary if we don't. I know.

Karen Lynch: Our service to our listeners and our advertisers is how can we help the marketers and the advertisers and the agencies and all of these people who are using the tools? We do not have to worry about all of humanity on this show. You can let us know if I'm wrong on that, friends. But I don't think you and I have to carry the weight of all humanity and where we're headed. We are not, what did we see? Linda Hamilton in The Terminator, what's her character's name? What was the character's name in The Terminator? I just saw a video this morning and it was like she was weeping. Her weeping every time we take the next step, right? We don't have to worry about everybody.

Lenny Murphy: Good, good point. But for me, I agree, I will just try and I'll tell myself back a little bit. We pride ourselves as an industry on having ethical frameworks and being the voice of the consumer. So when I bring that up, that's my intention, even though my weird sci fi, you know, personality takes it further, it is just trying to remind us that let's just stay grounded and thinking about what's best for well, and, you know, whenever whenever you take that step back, I can take a step back also with you.

Karen Lynch: And the reality is in the spirit of the voice of the consumer, before you execute on these things, you should talk to your consumers and see if they're okay with it. Like when I showed my 25 year old son some of these videos and he was like, nope, I don't want to see that. It's too weird. It's too creepy. It makes me uncomfortable. So if your audience would be uncomfortable, please don't do this. You know, that is an inner support real quick.

Lenny Murphy: I just want to bring this up. My son is 14. And he despises all the AI stuff. He refuses to engage with any of it. It creeps him out. He thinks it's dehumanizing. I've tried to encourage him even, you know, let me know we're trying to project together. It's like, well, look, we'll use AI and we'll do this. And he's like, no, I'm gonna hand draw this, right? It was only a graphical thing. So, there's an undercurrent, potentially generationally, that we should recognize. We think all this is, you know, so cool. But, you know, not everybody is gonna, necessarily feels that comfortable. So, we don't wanna leave them behind. All right, last similar thing, UBS. This was interesting. Deploying lifelike AI avatars of its alias using OpenAI Synthesia. So basically you go to UBS and you want to talk to a financial advisor and you're talking to an avatar. I don't know how I feel about that one.

Karen Lynch: I'm like, do I have to feel about that one talking, getting financial advice from an avatar? Maybe it's okay. But that's one category where I'm like, I really want to be a human being. But, but anyway, you know, okay. Yeah.

Lenny Murphy: Well, and as we look at all this other stuff, Microsoft also, they envision an open internet for AI agents. So there'll be conferences this week as well. Everybody has their big conferences. So we have this infrastructure component, like Microsoft and Google, that they're building the walls of the infrastructure to enable this future to continue to expand.

Karen Lynch: So there ain't no stopping it.

Lenny Murphy: And I don't know about you, Karen, I continue to think that it's happening faster than I thought it would.

Karen Lynch: Yeah. Yeah, I think it's, yes. And, you know, it's been, it's now been a few years. It's like, what, like two and a half years since generative AI hit the scene.

Lenny Murphy: So maybe it's faster, but also, um, maybe it's accelerating.

Karen Lynch: I think it could be accelerating. I just think that it's, you know, proliferating everything. And I think that's maybe, you know, at first the idea was this will affect our business life, but now we're just seeing it permeate, you know, across all of the sectors of our lives. Again, like, you know, from our personal use cases and our business use cases and our, you know, kind of like how products will be marketed to us. It's just, it's all encompassing. Encompassing us. And I think that's probably, that's probably what everybody's feeling is it certainly has accelerated. It is going to continue at this rate. We don't have, we have never had our heads in the sand about that. We have been very clear about that. It's, this is, you know, it's going to continue to accelerate and it's just, you know, we're on the speed train.

Lenny Murphy: I just thought maybe there'd be more inertial speed bumps. And I don't see those. They're just hitting and going over them. But anyway, we've hit our limit for today. We sure have.

Karen Lynch: We sure have. But yeah, good to be here. We'll be back next week if you're in the US. I hope you get to enjoy Memorial Day. Here in the Northeast, the weather might not really cooperate. It's like you can see it out my window. It's just cold and glum.

Lenny Murphy: It's chilly here, too.

Karen Lynch: On a weekend that's supposed to kick off summer, but, but hey, I'll still take a day to, you know, a day to, you know, unplug because I think I need it and I know our team needs it too. So I hope for the rest of you, you all can unplug on Monday and enjoy the holiday here in the U.S.

Lenny Murphy: Yes. Everybody have a great weekend. We'll be back next Friday and I'll try not to be so, I won't, I'll try not to deflate you, Karen, so.

Karen Lynch: You be you, Lenny, you be you.

Lenny Murphy: I appreciate your level of acceptance of that.

Karen Lynch: Bye. Bye, everybody. We'll talk soon.

Links from the episode:

Rival Group and Angus Reid Group Merge to Deliver Full-Spectrum Insights at Scale

MSQ has acquired The Forge

DataDiggers and Brainactive: The Future of Market Research Starts Now

Havas Expands Deal for Access to YouGov Data

VideoAmp Integrates with Captify to Launch the Industry’s First Solution Directly Tying Search Outcomes to Currency-Grade Viewership Data

Advertisers embrace Nielsen alternatives for measurement

Gen Z's new side hustle: selling data DataDiggers and Brainactive: The Future of Market Research Starts Now

Fuel Cycle introduces FC UX

HeyMarvin debuts its AI Moderated Interviewer

OpenAI acquires Jony Ive’s startup IO in a $6.5 billion deal

Apple’s first smart glasses could arrive next year

Google’s Project Moohan showcases prototype AI smart glasses

Google unveiled its vision for AI-driven advertising

UBS deploys AI analyst clones

Microsoft’s AI Vision: An Open Internet Made for Agents