Research teams slow to adopt AI risk losing organisational clout
Research teams not deploying artificial intelligence are seeing a sharp decline in their organisational influence, according to recent findings from Qualtrics. The report notes that teams failing to embrace purpose-built AI for market research are four times more likely to lose their strategic position within organisations compared to those leveraging advanced features such as synthetic responses and agentic AI.
AI adoption shift
The survey discovered a decisive turn in how market research teams approach AI. While over half of professional researchers now use AI regularly and nearly 90% have experimented with it, there has been a notable shift from general-purpose bots to platforms designed specifically for research. AI developed for and embedded into research tools is now used by 66% of teams, up from 62% in the previous year. Usage of general-purpose tools such as chatbots fell from 75% to 67% over the same period.
Teams utilising AI specifically tailored for market research report that their organisations have become significantly more reliant on their insights over the past year. Seventy-two per cent of these teams have seen demand for their work grow, directly correlating with increased budget allocation. In contrast, 37% of teams using traditional or basic AI tools experienced flat or declining demand for their services.
Strategic impact
The findings highlighted the growing strategic divide between teams advanced in AI adoption and those still relying on traditional approaches. Specialist tools, such as conversational analytics and AI-driven visual content analysis, have reached 49% adoption rates among survey respondents. These capabilities allow faster processing of qualitative data and richer insights from consumer interactions, reducing typical research timelines from weeks to a matter of hours.
According to the data, research teams that have integrated synthetic data are 11% more likely to participate in early-stage innovation work, 7% more likely to conduct go-to-market research, and 5% more likely to perform testing for product launches. Forty-five per cent of synthetic data adopters now view this data as their most reliable source, surpassing traditional online panels.
"Synthetic data became our 'cultural radar', cutting research timelines from a week to hours while giving us confidence to test messaging against emerging trends. The blended approach lets us move faster on early-stage testing, then validate high-stakes decisions with human panels," said Garred Sheppard, Marketing Research Director, Gabb.
Role of agentic AI
Adoption of agentic AI is growing, with 15% of research professionals now actively using AI agents. Looking ahead, 78% of respondents anticipate that these agents will be running the majority of research projects by 2028. Teams that have implemented agentic AI are reporting notably higher efficiencies. Eighty-four per cent of regular users believe their teams are now markedly more efficient, compared to 68% among those yet to engage with agentic AI.
"In today's fast-moving economies, rapid access to consumer insights is a huge advantage, and the research teams embracing AI build advantages that latecomers will find difficult to overcome," said Ali Henriques, Executive Director of Edge, Qualtrics.
Henriques also commented, "The research teams gaining strategic influence are reimagining what research looks like across the entire organisation, they're conducting different kinds of research, asking bigger questions, and moving earlier in the innovation cycle."
Henriques added, "Equipped with the right AI tools, research teams can allow product managers to test concepts without submitting tickets. Marketing teams can analyse sentiment without waiting for reports. Executives can explore markets without going through intermediaries. The barrier to insights is no longer specialist knowledge. It's simply asking the right question."
Leadership divide
Qualtrics' research underscores a significant gap between leadership and frontline researchers in terms of AI confidence and usage. While 39% of leaders say AI has transformed their departments, only 19% of frontline teams agree. Individual contributors are also more concerned about job security, with 15% fearing redundancy from AI introductions, compared to just 5% of leaders.
Among leaders, 68% consider themselves experts in synthetic data, while only 41% of individual contributors claim the same. Confidence in synthetic data quality stands at 79% for leaders but drops to 61% for on-the-ground teams.
Henriques stated, "When frontline teams don't buy in, expensive AI tools go unused and competitors with better alignment move faster. Organisations need to bridge this divide by establishing shared definitions of success, providing hands-on training, and ensuring teams at every level understand both the potential and practical application of new AI capabilities."
