CRC Recap: AI, Fraud, Budget Cuts, and One Very Expensive Uber

Welcome back to Intellicast! Brian is fresh off the Corporate Researchers Conference in Chicago, and Gabby joins him to break down the biggest themes, conversations, and takeaways from this year’s event. Before getting into CRC, they also cover several market research news stories involving AI, data privacy, respondent verification, and industry consolidation.

The episode opens with the two discussing Qualtrics’ announcement of XM Data and AI, an upcoming platform that will combine behavioral intelligence with decades of healthcare experience data. Brian and Gabby debate the potential of the platform, but also raise questions about data ownership and privacy when historical client information becomes part of a broader AI-enabled ecosystem.

They then turn to Sago Verify, which introduces additional layers of identity verification and fraud detection across the respondent journey. While both view the move positively, they also stress that identity verification alone cannot solve the industry’s quality challenges. Validating that someone is human is only one part of determining whether the data they provide is trustworthy.

The second half of the episode shifts entirely to CRC, with Gabby taking on the role of host and asking Brian to unpack what stood out most from the conference.

One theme was impossible to miss: AI has become ubiquitous. It is no longer positioned as a unique feature, but as a standard part of research platforms and workflows. The more important conversation has shifted from whether researchers should use AI to how they should use it responsibly. Human judgment remains critical, especially when evaluating AI-generated outputs, but the industry may face a future challenge if junior researchers no longer gain the foundational experience needed to build that judgment.

Synthetic data also drew significant attention, although the conversation looked very different from what it did a year or two ago. Rather than being treated as a replacement for traditional research, it is increasingly viewed as a tool with specific applications, limitations, and risks. Validation remains a major hurdle: different models can produce different outputs from the same underlying data, and synthetic audiences require continuous updates to remain useful.

Data quality remained another major theme of the conference. Layered protection, collaboration, and shared responsibility were recurring ideas across multiple sessions. The consensus is increasingly clear: protecting data quality cannot sit with a single supplier or technology. It requires coordinated controls throughout the research process.

Perhaps the most practical theme, however, was budget pressure. Brand-side research teams are being asked to deliver more work while budgets remain flat or decline. That pressure is reshaping how projects are being executed, with more research brought in-house, heavier use of DIY tools, and greater demands on partners to work faster and more efficiently.

Brian also shares some of the lighter moments from the conference, including a visit to Wrigley Field, a packed North Central Chapter happy hour, and an Uber surge that turned a nine-mile ride into a three-digit expense.

He closes by highlighting several standout CRC sessions and thanking the Insights Association team for another strong event. He also hints that a few conversations from Chicago may turn into future Intellicast guests.

Thanks for tuning in!

You can download your copy of the Insights Association’s 2026 State of the U.S. Insights & Analytics Industry Report here: https://www.insightsassociation.org/Resources/2026-Insights-Analytics-Market-Report

If you missed the live version of our recent webinar, Most Wanted: The New Fraudsters Affecting Market Research, you can still check it out on-demand here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jEsQAF2sSleFPIGOcTqf4w

The 2026 Edition of The Sample Landscape is now available! You can download your copy here: https://content.emi-rs.com/the-sample-landscape