TMRE 2026 · Denver
The State of Research & AI
We spent three days with insights professionals having conversations, collecting perspectives, and moderating a panel comprised of leaders from HP, Microsoft, and Peloton. We’re already seeing glimpses of the insights organization of the future in the ways that brands and suppliers are integrating new tools and techniques to uplevel their craft. Here are the themes that feel most important, surprising, and consequential for where insights is headed next, and how Hypothesis can help.
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Trend 01: From keepers of knowledge to catalysts for decisions
The value of insights is shifting from producing research to influencing decisions.
How Hypothesis can help
Hypothesis helps teams turn customer understanding into clear business direction through strategic synthesis, decision frameworks, workshops, and dynamic, agent-driven deliverables. We also strengthen team capability through Research 101 training for newer researchers and storytelling workshops that help researchers communicate findings with greater clarity and influence. The goal is stronger research skills and insights that actually move decisions.
Trend 02: AI is making research faster. So why are researchers so exhausted?
AI creates capacity, but also more possibilities, higher expectations, and harder choices.
How Hypothesis can help
We help insights teams determine where AI adds value, where human expertise matters most, and how to turn greater efficiency into better decisions and business impact. Hypothesis builds foundational research skills and trains teams on new approaches, while Elixirr’s Execution Edge helps organizations rethink roles, prioritize higher-value work, and lead people through change so AI-driven productivity translates into stronger teams and sustainable results.
Trend 03: Human-led research is having a renaissance
As AI expands, businesses are rediscovering the power of getting close to real people.
How Hypothesis can help
Deep human understanding has always been core to Hypothesis. Through ethnography, immersive qualitative research, cultural and semiotic analysis, and other human-centered approaches, we uncover the motivations, tensions, context, and behaviors synthetic data alone cannot reveal. We also use AI to extend and enrich human research, helping teams gain greater speed and scale without losing the lived reality behind the insight.
Trend 04: The next breakthrough in insights may be leveraging what we already know
The next insight may already exist. The challenge is connecting it and knowing what is still missing.
How Hypothesis can help
Hypothesis brings the research expertise to evaluate existing evidence, identify critical knowledge gaps, and determine when deeper human understanding is needed to inform better decisions. Elixirr brings research, customer, behavioral, operational, and commercial data together into custom integrated data models, interactive visualizations, and AI agents that help teams unlock the full value of what they already know.