Should AI Companies Be Allowed to Tell the Government “No”?
May 15, 2026
Welcome back to Intellicast! On today’s episode, Brian and Gabby dive into the latest news from around the insights industry. They also spend some time examining an issue impacting all of research, but it is not as prevalent as AI or data quality: feasibility.
Kicking it off, Gabby and Brian talk about Forrester’s first quarter results. While Forrester reported earnings down 5%, what both Brian and Gabby found more intriguing was that Forrester revised its full-year guidance to expect a 10% decline in revenue. They both speculated whether this was a signal about performance for the rest of the industry.
Brian and Gabby also spend some time talking about Scintilla, Walmart Data Ventures’ new API-powered data feed for advertisers and their clients. Both see the potential next steps with the tool and the data it provides, especially if Walmart decides to open up access directly to CPG and other product manufacturers. They also see other major retailers like Amazon and Target rolling out similar solutions in the near future.
Gabby and Brian then take on the news that Medallia is being taken over by its creditors after its owner decided to discontinue investing in servicing its debt. This led to a broader debate between the two about the potential dark side of taking venture capital as a means to scale quickly. They both acknowledged that venture capital firms get their money back one way or another, and if this new story is just the first of potentially many we may see over the next couple of years.
A few of the other stories they touch on in this episode include:
- Norstat’s newly launched expert network
- Sago’s integration of ID verification and selfie matching into their respondent onboarding process for their panel
- Wire’s rebrand launch
In the final segment of this episode, Brian and Gabby discuss a recent special report from Research Live that dived into the current state of research participants. This led to a more philosophical discussion about respondent experience, how respondents’ expectations have changed, and how we conduct research hasn’t. Gabby discusses some of the daily hurdles she faces with feasibility and how they all tie together.
Thanks for tuning in!
The 2026 Edition of The Sample Landscape is now available! You can download your copy here: https://content.emi-rs.com/the-sample-landscape
Did you miss one of our webinars or want to get some of our whitepapers and reports?
You can find it all on our Resources page on our website here: https://emi-rs.com/resources/
