I have attended more than half of the PMRC conferences held over the past 16 years. Being a veteran of the pharma market research industry, there have been many trends in research that have dominated this annual conference meeting, but this year was different. It wasn’t a trend being discussed, it was a reality – the recognition that AI is here and not going away.
I recall in last year’s meeting (yes, only a year ago!), there were a handful of discussions on the use of AI. The tone of these sessions was about how our industry (known to be a bit of a laggard for innovation) was grappling with the AI Train ready to roar out of the station. A conductor yelling “All Aboard” came to mind, with some ready to jump on and others quite hesitant. I recall a panel discussion of leaders from various client-side organizations and one member saying it scared them as much as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character in the Terminator.
One year later, it is clear the AI Train has left the station, and it is not a matter of if you are getting on board, it’s a matter of when? At which “stop” will organizations board this supersonic speed train?
Many agency side presentations this year suggest that most of us are using AI to support content writing and analysis (open-ends, qualitative discussions, etc.). In addition, there were discussions about developing personas with AI and the use of Digital Twins. A few talks provided comparisons of human analysis to AI analysis.
The mood of this conference was excitement, with the acknowledgment of the need to proceed with caution. There was a realization that AI will change the skillsets required to function as a value-add market researcher in this new world. One talk went as far as to suggest that adaptation is a must, much like Darwin and evolution, with a title of the talk named “I Have Said it Before and I Will Say it Again …You are Going to Lose Your Job (Or How Not To).
Being a seasoned researcher, I will admit that a year ago, I was standing on the station platform, intrigued with this AI Train and where it was going. This year, I am on board and excited to see the evolution of our industry, with the hope that we use our innate human intelligence to ensure we are responsible and balanced in our new relationship with our AI Research Accelerator (not Terminator)!
Author
Katy Palmer, PhD
Client Strategy & Growth, EVP
Katy is part of the Executive Team guiding the overall strategy of KJT and leads the Strategic Account Team; ensuring great client experience while also being focused on revenue growth. Katy has worked in healthcare insights for 20+ years, both client and agency side. She has a PhD in immunology.
