Let’s discuss something which everyone in the world finds fascinating at this moment– AI
Contrary to the popular belief that we must choose between AI and traditional insight communities, at KLC. We believe that our tried-and-true insights communities aren’t being replaced by AI, but are actually finding an amazing new dance partner in this technology.
Remember when communities were the new kid on the block?
It feels like just yesterday that Market Research Online Communities (MROCs) were that exciting new thing everyone was talking about. Year after year, they showed up in the “hot new tech” section… until eventually they became such a normal part of our research toolkit that they weren’t even considered “new” anymore.
Why did they stick around? Because they worked! They gave us better insights in less time and often for less money than traditional methods.
But now there’s a new player in town: AI.
I was thinking about this the other day while playing with ChatGPT. It’s pretty mind-blowing what AI can do, right? Even though Large Language Models have actually been with us since 2018, it wasn’t until ChatGPT burst onto the scene in late 2022 that everyone started talking about AI. Before AI, before Insight Communities, and even before the digital age, researchers have always pursued the elusive Holy Grail of “Faster, Cheaper, and Better.” The reality? You could only ever pick two.
Now with AI, the Grail is closer.
However, here is the catch!
Have you ever gotten one of those “interesting” responses from ChatGPT that makes you tilt your head and go, “Umm, that’s not quite right”? Me too! And that’s because AI, for all its brilliance, isn’t perfect, and isn’t a panacea.
Moreover – most AI models are trained on data that might be a year old or more. That means they missed everything that’s happened since then. New products? Cultural shifts? Changing consumer preferences? AI might not know about any of it unless it’s been specifically updated.
What if we stopped choosing and started combining?
This is where it gets exciting. At KLC, we’ve been experimenting with something that feels almost magical – combining the human depth of insights communities with the analytical power of AI(just like the right, and left side of the brain together) – to form a perfect eco-system.
- Our insights communities are like our right brain – creative, surprising, emotional, and constantly evolving. When a community member shares something completely unexpected – like using your product in a way you never imagined – that’s pure gold you couldn’t have predicted. Moreover, insight communities are particularly adept at iterative insights as members are available on a longitudinal basis.
- AI is like our left brain – logical, systematic, and incredibly fast at processing information and finding patterns. It can take those brilliant human insights and test/validate them against thousands of scenarios in minutes.
Have you ever had a community member share something so surprising it changed how you thought about your product? AI can help you understand how widespread that perspective might be. Has AI ever identified a pattern that seemed important but you weren’t sure why? Your community members can help explain the human reasoning behind it.
It’s like having a research superpower – the depth and surprise of human insight combined with the scale and speed of AI analysis. Instead of choosing between faster, cheaper, OR better – we’re getting closer to having all three. And isn’t that what we’ve always wanted?
What do you think? Are you curious about how this blended approach might work for your specific research challenges?
Thanks for reading!
Get in touch with us directly to learn more;
Kevin Lonnie [email protected]
Dan Womack [email protected]