NIM INSIGHTS Research Magazin VOL. 6

The participants of the NIM Market Decisions Day 2024 experienced an impressive event: Artificial intelligence is no longer just a tool; it’s a transformation reshaping the heart of modern marketing and consumer behavior. Or, as AI Futurist Zack Kass puts it in the interview for this issue of the NIM INSIGHTS, “Like electricity, AI is becoming a general-purpose technology that can be applied across all industries.” What, then, are the emerging opportunities and risks for society, business, politics, and consumers? From our own research, we see, for example, that AI-powered digital sales assistants are already elevating shopper engagement. What’s important here is that consumers prefer digital sales assistants with a humanized and likable appearance rather than artificial ones.

Beyond functional assistance, generative AI is also used in market research, where companies, for example, simulate human insights. But can machines really simulate real people in surveys? As a recently finished research project shows, although the tools offer significant advantages in streamlining market research processes, reducing costs, and providing quick, broad insights, caution is advised as generative AI often produces results that lack the nuance of real consumer
feedback.

Despite all of those complex challenges, NIM’s Head of Future and Trends Research, Dr. Fabian Buder, has a clear message: “The greatest risk for marketers today isn’t missing out on a trend—it’s holding onto toxic assumptions that block innovation.”