MRII Study Reveals Market Researchers Have a Positive Attitude Toward AI at the Workplace
The first round of data from a global study by Market Research Institute International (MRII) reveals that market researchers are feeling positive about GenAI’s potential to enhance job performance through better efficiency, insights generation, and accuracy.
The MRII study is based on a survey of 369 market research professionals from around the globe. The survey was conducted by MRII sponsor QuestinPro. To gather a deeper qualitative understanding of the responses, Brand Riffs, another sponsor of MRII, conducted seven one-on-one interviews with the survey respondents.
The objective of the global survey, which lasted from February 22 and March 27, 2024, was to gather insights about the AI usage by market researchers, and their expectations about the impact of the technology in the future. The survey was also aimed at gathering information about the perceived benefits and overall attitude of AI in the market.
One of the key findings of the report is that one-third of researchers currently use GenAI. That is a massive 25-point increase from last year, making GenAI the fastest-growing tool in the industry. The top current uses of AI in market research include literature review on topics of interest (34%), report generation (30%), and questionnaire development (26%).
When asked about the highest impact skills for the future, 60% of respondents believe that both GenAI and AI/ML will have the biggest impact and would require training. Nearly 3 in 4 respondents feel favorably about the impact of AI on their job and company. Workers from some of the other industries that have been impacted by AI are unlikely to have such a favorable perception of AI on their job security.
According to Ed Keller, Executive Director of MRII, "The results are fascinating and can serve as a guide to leaders in our industry about the ways their workforce is thinking about AI, as well as for any researcher who wants to benchmark their views against peers. The study also reveals an overall optimism about the role that AI can play in the daily work life of market research professionals, and sheds light on the importance of training and learning about AI."
The respondents believe the biggest opportunities offered by AI are time savings in routine research tasks (78%) and enhanced efficiency for data processing and analytics (75%). The biggest risks of AI according to the study are data privacy, implementation complexity, and the necessity for upskilling.
The MRII study also explored the impact at a sub-group level. The consultants or agency researchers are more likely to use AI for their work compared to corporate users who have been slower to adopt the technology.
The power users of AI in the workplace are most optimistic about the benefits of AI, but they are also aware of the risks. Based on the findings of the report, the power users of AI believe that bias in AI algorithms and data privacy are the top concerns. As AI adoption expands, we can expect workers to become more comfortable with the technology. It also means that proficiency in AI skills will become increasingly vital for the industry, and organizations will need a game plan to get the best of both worlds - GenAI and their workforce.
Related Items
Global IT Spending Forecast: Gartner Predicts 6.8 Percent Growth in 2024
GenAI Having Major Impact on Data Culture, Survey Says
