Beyond the Hype: What AI Can Actually Do for Insights and Research Teams

Let’s be honest: If you work in insights, research, or strategy, it’s been almost impossible to avoid the buzz around AI. Every week brings a new headline promising “game-changing” tools, magic prompts, or dire warnings about robots replacing jobs. The hype is relentless and if you’re still not sure what’s signal and what’s noise, you’re not alone.

But here’s the truth: beneath all the hype, AI really is changing the way modern insights teams work. Not with overnight miracles or secret hacks but through practical, powerful ways that can actually make your day-to-day smarter and faster.

Why All the Confusion?

Part of the reason everyone’s talking (and worrying) about AI is because, frankly, it’s not like any technology we’ve used before. There’s no instruction manual, no clear boundaries, no “right” way to get started. Even the folks building these tools admit they had no idea exactly how people would use them. That’s left most teams asking: “What can AI actually do for us—right now?”

Four Ways AI Can Transform Insights Work

Strip away the jargon, and here’s what AI is already doing for leading insights and research teams:

• Generating Content: Drafting summaries, reports, even discussion guides—from scratch, in seconds.
• Transforming Information: Converting complex data into easy-to-digest visuals or switching formats with a few keystrokes.
• Reasoning & Analysis: Spotting patterns, surfacing insights, and making sense of overwhelming datasets.
• Interacting in Real-Time: Acting as a brainstorming partner, role-playing consumer segments, or just sense-checking your thinking.

But (and it’s a big but) — the real advantage isn’t in the tool itself. It’s in knowing how to ask the right questions, give enough context, and use AI as an extension of your own expertise.

Spoiler: There’s No “Magic Prompt”

Sorry to disappoint, but there isn’t a secret formula or silver-bullet prompt that unlocks the full power of AI. The secret? Practice, experimentation, and a little bit of human curiosity. The more you use it, the more value you’ll find.

So… What Can’t AI Do? And How Are Top Teams Really Using It?

This is where things get interesting—and honestly, this is just the start. The conversation gets a whole lot juicier (and way more practical) when you see how real teams are actually building AI into their workflow.

Want the Full Story?

If you’re ready to move beyond the headlines and find out what AI is really doing for consumer insights teams right now check out our Webinar with Kyser Thompson, Founder of The Known Collective and AI for the Rest of Us.

Just fill in your details below and we’ll send the video straight to your inbox.

Don’t miss the insights you won’t find anywhere else.