Beyond Speed and Efficiency - When AI Should Unlock New Possibilities

When Jenna Beglin evaluates AI tools for consumer research, she's not asking "can this make us faster?" She's asking a more fundamental question: "Does this enable us to do something we couldn't do before?" As a research and insights leader focusing on tech, Jenna has developed a clear philosophy about AI's role in research—one that challenges the prevailing obsession with productivity gains.

In this conversation, Jenna shares her perspective on why AI should be additive rather than simply time-saving. She discusses the tension between what she calls "the race to mediocrity"—where AI produces passable but uninspired work—and the genuine breakthroughs that happen when technology unlocks entirely new capabilities. From synthetic respondents to AI-moderated interviews, Jenna walks through her evaluation framework: Is this meaningfully better? Does this give us insights we couldn't access before?

This episode offers a practitioner's framework for thinking about AI adoption—focused not on doing the same things faster, but on genuinely expanding what's possible in consumer insights work.

AI Heroes: Lucy Richardson on Insight-Led Brand Growth, Boutique Agency Strategy, and Using AI Responsibly for Innovation 🎙️

In this episode of AI Heroes, host Dave sits down with Lucy Richardson, Managing Director of Brand Legacy, to explore how insight-led strategy helps brands grow — and what changes when AI becomes part of the agency and client toolkit.

Lucy shares how Brand Legacy has evolved since 2008, why the “translator” role between consumer truth and brand action matters more than ever, and how AI is shifting ways of working — from faster synthesis to more iterative, collaborative decision-making. The conversation also dives into sustainability, authenticity, and what it takes to adopt AI with rigour, trust, and real business value.

We also dive into:

• What insight-led growth really means and how agencies turn consumer understanding into clear brand direction

• How boutique agencies compete through flexibility, experience, and bespoke solutions — and where the model is under pressure

• Why iteration is essential with AI and how to move beyond polished outputs to deeper meaning and better decisions

• How client AI adoption varies by stakeholder and what it takes to build confidence, credibility, and governance

• The link between AI and sustainability, including “doing more with less” and designing more responsible brand solutions

• Why authenticity will become non-negotiable as AI makes it easier for consumers to verify (and challenge) brand claims

• What AI means for junior talent and why real humans and primary insight still matter in an AI-generated world

If you’re exploring how to blend AI, insights, and brand strategy — especially in multinational or fast-moving categories — this episode offers a grounded perspective on how to use AI as a force multiplier without losing nuance, trust, or impact.

Connect with Lucy on LinkedIn.

AI Heroes: Elle Park, Market research & CI Lead at Arcutis Biotherapeutic, on Building Pharma-Ready AI for Insights, Trust, and Real Business Impact 🎙️

In this episode of AI Heroes, host Dave Carruthers speaks with Elle Park, a pharmaceutical insights leader, about the real-world application of AI in highly regulated environments and what meaningful AI adoption for Insight actually requires.

She shares practical examples of how AI can add context for stronger decision-making, outlines how to measure real business value, and discusses what’s required for responsible AI adoption in pharma. A grounded conversation on using AI to support better decisions - not just faster ones.

We dive into:

• What “pharma ready” AI really means and why trust, transparency, and explainability matter
• How AI can improve insight quality and speed without compromising rigor or governance
• What it takes to evaluate AI tools properly, from pilots to proof of value
• Where AI is delivering value today for insights teams and where the next opportunities lie

If you are navigating the intersection of AI, insights, and strategy, especially in complex or regulated organisations, this episode offers practical guidance on how to move from experimentation to impact.

Connect with Elle Park on LinkedIn.