How Gen AI Is Reshaping Marketing Research: Insights from GBK Collective’s Latest Study
Introducing GBK Collective’s Latest Gen AI Report:
Rewiring the Research Playbook: How Gen AI is Reshaping Insights, Strategy, and Execution
Generative AI is rapidly transforming the way research teams work—from accelerating data analysis to reshaping how insights are generated, applied, and scaled. But as adoption accelerates, a new playbook is taking shape—one that raises critical questions for marketing and research leaders:
How do we ensure accuracy, trust, and rigor in AI-assisted insights?
What’s the right balance between automation and human expertise?
How can teams unlock Gen AI’s potential while managing real risks around governance, security, and skill gaps?
To explore these questions, GBK Collective partnered with leading academic experts—including Columbia’s Olivier Toubia, Wharton’s Stefano Puntoni, and GBK Co-Founder Eric Bradlow—to survey over 170 research and insights professionals. The result: a clear, data-backed view of how Gen AI is rewiring research workflows today—and where market research is headed next.
The findings underscore a dual reality: Gen AI is both a catalyst and a challenge. To realize its full potential, organizations must move beyond experimentation and begin rewiring their research playbook with clarity, governance, and intent.
Please sign Up to receive a copy of The FULL report
This research also served as the foundation for an article in the May–June 2025 issue of Harvard Business Review, co-authored by members of our research and academic team.
Key findings at a glance:
Researchers are already deeply engaged with Gen AI at the individual level:
· 84% believe Gen AI will positively impact their work
· 84% say it will increase productivity and efficiency
· 82% agree that integrating Gen AI is critical to staying competitive
But optimism is tempered by real concerns:
· 77% worry about making faulty business decisions due to AI-generated misinformation
· 75% express concern about data security and privacy risks
· 71% fear that reliance on Gen AI will create skill gaps over time