We listened to every recorded session of Esomar Congress 2025 and 2026. AI is no longer one topic on the programme: it has become the setting for almost everything else.

Scale the research, keep the human judgment. Carol Fitzgerald makes the case for removing the delays around qualitative research while preserving the expert conversations that give it depth.

Usage is close to universal but planning, governance and measurable ROI are lagging. A new study makes the case for a deliberate adoption roadmap.

Democratisation, expertise, and the case for governing evidence chains rather than access

What can small shifts in culture and consumer behaviour tell us about where a category is heading? Anjana Pillai explores how researchers can spot early signals of change and assess which ones could shape a category’s future.