The insights industry is undergoing a transformation thanks to AI. At Toluna, AI is at the core of our business. Our “AI Everywhere” campaign is based on our vision of the ways in which AI combined with human intelligence (HI) is transforming – and will continue to transform – the industry in the future.
Across Toluna, we’re enhancing our research practices as we apply AI, including Large Language Models (LLMs) and Toluna proprietary GPT and machine learning models, in the areas of client insights, platforms and tools, and data quality.
There will always be a need for the types of qualitative and quantitative research we do today, especially for ground truth and validation studies. We’re seeing the adoption of new AI-based options at a faster rate than seen in the shift from offline to online research. Since AI-based approaches help increase speed to action, they’re appealing to CMOs and insights leaders facing increased pressure for faster business growth.
New AI-based approaches are emerging across a wide range of research and insight activities occurring today. In our view, the future of insights will be shaped by new solutions that are more predictive, more conversational, and that infuse AI features into traditional approaches. We refer to these 3 types of insight solution areas as:
Direct-to-prediction approaches
where all insights are generated by a predictive model with no surveys or research participants involved.
Conversational approaches
which involve a fluid, adaptive dialogue or conversation, either with human participants or with synthetic personas designed to mimic human responses. Conversations may replace surveys or discussion guides for data collection but can also replace certain aspects of analysis and reporting (e.g., Ask Your Data).
AI-infused traditional approaches
that add AI elements to existing solutions or ways of conducting research today.
Transformations in synthetic data – data generated artificially as a synthesis of information to mimic the statistical features of real data – are particularly exciting for us at Toluna. Our Toluna HarmonAIze solution suite harnesses the power of synthetic data to help brands optimize decision-making, scale research, and predict real-world outcomes:
HarmonAIze Personas
Unique, lifelike synthetic personas built upon anonymized first-party data (sourced from our industry-leading panel) and available at a moment’s notice. These personas aren’t merely data points – they reason, express emotion, and have distinct perspectives.
HarmonAIze Boost
Our innovative solution, designed to unlock valuable insights without the need for additional data collection. By amplifying patterns in existing data, Toluna HarmonAIze Boost helps clients conduct deep-dive analysis on small or niche subgroups where collecting enough real-world data would traditionally be time-consuming or impossible.
In a world of synthetic data, high-quality, up-to-date real data is key. Toluna QSphere, our proprietary quality framework, plays an important role in our strategy to produce high fidelity synthetic data. We build synthetic personas starting with 1st party data from our Toluna Influencer panels, which incorporate 79M+ individuals across the globe. And the outputs from Boost algorithms are based on data patterns from freshly and/or previously collected real data from projects with Toluna or even other vendors (e.g., bring-your-own data).
One area of transformation that especially excites us is the evolution of conversational insights and the convergence of qual and quant. We are laying the foundation for this transformation today. One example is QProbe, our generative AI-powered probing tool. QProbe identifies vague or unclear answers to open-ended survey questions and creates personalized follow-up questions to gain more relevant insights. Initially launched for quantitative research, QProbe is also now available as a moderator assistant for qualitative research in Toluna Start. And that’s not all – further developments are focused on making QProbe instrumental in conversational insights.
QProbe
QProbe for Moderation
QProbe “threaded” conversations
This exemplifies our dual-purpose AI development strategy, aimed at developing solutions that not only solve an existing client pain point but is also a building block for future needs.
As seen in our vision, we are seeing widespread transformation, touching research design and end-to-end delivery practices from scoping to final recommendations. Toluna is well-placed to help clients navigate these changes because transformation is in our DNA.
We started over 25 years ago as a panel company, moved to field and tab and then to full-service, while also developing and launching DIY QuickSurveys followed by our robust Toluna Start DIY platform with integrated sample sourcing. We set up a dedicated AI/ML Lab of software engineers and data scientists back in 2018 – earlier than most. We were the first company in the industry to launch an insights solution that used only AI and HI – a copy testing solution called ACT Instant – and we did it in 2019. And earlier this year, we became the first in our industry to launch synthetic survey-taking personas in our Rapid Claims Testing powered by HarmonAIze Personas.
We hope you share our vision, and we look forward to having you join us on this journey of transformation. All aboard!
