AI is reshaping how organisations innovate, but technology alone isn’t the answer. In this article, Dr Nicki Morley, Global Innovation Lead at Kantar, explains why human insight remains critical — and how brands that balance AI with purpose are best placed to lead in their markets.
The pace of change that is being driven by AI and generative AI is an exciting prospect for 75 percent of marketers. On the product innovation front, AI is predominately used to boost efficiencies but we’re entering a period where it has the potential to unlock more breakthrough innovations if used in the right way.
Yet as businesses move from early trials and concepts to organisation-wide implementation, some leaders are making a critical mistake: undervaluing the importance of partnership between humans and AI.
Don’t get me wrong. Ignoring AI entirely would be severely business-limiting in this day and age. But an overreliance that isn’t guided by human insight risks creating shallow innovation pipelines, mediocre ideas that are easily copied and will fall short of addressing deeper consumer needs.
Sustainable innovation happens when AI is used to accelerate a broader strategy, one built on curiosity about consumers and a readiness to reframe problems. That said, with so many companies now claiming to be at the forefront of the AI wave, how can we distinguish the genuine leaders from the rest of the pack?
Finding Opportunity in the Challenge
AI deployment that focuses on efficiencies alone limits its overall potential. The most innovative brands use AI to understand behavioural, cultural and attitudinal tensions, so that they can uncover emerging behaviours. This can then unlock a new level of what is technically possible and help a brand find what is meaningfully different for their audience.
For example, consumer goods manufacturer Clorox faced a familiar challenge: innovating in a mature category, where what people need can seem static. Through in‑depth ethnographic research and social listening, the brand uncovered an important tension: people wanted cleaning products that were effective yet safe, particularly in homes with children or pets.
By combining agile, client-led product development with AI tools, Clorox sifted millions of consumer data points and emerging social conversations to identify specific ingredient profiles and meet safety expectations in record time.
Similarly, Trip.com’s AI travel planner, TripGenie, was developed in response to an emerging behaviour among travellers: the desire for completely personalised travel itineraries that balance convenience with authentic, local experiences.
By revealing the tension between wanting deep cultural immersion and the fatigue of planning every detail from scratch, TripGenie can now predict and recommend holidays that match every traveller’s unique profile. Not only did this remove the guesswork and decision overload that we often experience when planning our next trip abroad, the tool has freed TripGenie’s teams up to focus on curating truly memorable experiences for its customers. Every recommendation is shaped by behavioural insights and refined through iterative testing with customers, turning AI into a bridge between practical planning and emotional satisfaction.
Both examples show that the smartest businesses use AI to enhance, not replace, their brand identity. Whether it’s an AI-enabled holiday guide or a household cleaning product, robust data analysis must be paired with cultural and emotional intelligence for AI to be truly effective.
Bringing Teams and Customers with You on the Journey
For consumers, the challenge is different. AI can spark excitement, but it can also trigger uncertainty. At the moment, 75% of global consumers have a positive view of the impact of AI, though 23 percent remain sceptical. And winning people over is always easier when AI-enabled solutions are aligned with personal values and a brand’s ethos.
When that alignment is missing, excitement can quickly turn to criticism or distrust. Several high-profile launches have shown what happens when that alignment is missing. For example, Levi’s AI‑generated “diversity” campaign, faced backlash for using synthetic models instead of real diverse talent, leaving many to feel it was a superficial gesture rather than an authentic commitment.
And while the acceleration of AI adoption shows no signs of stopping, organisations that view it only as a quick fix will miss out on its true potential. By embedding AI in a human-first innovation strategy, leaders in media and marketing can create lasting change, build stronger customer connections and unlock new growth opportunities.
A Five-Point Innovation Plan
Businesses that combine technological capability with human insight are best placed to create solutions that stand out, adapt quickly and lead in their markets. After all, every market leader spots change before it’s obvious, peeks around the corner to shape products or services with intent, and sets the benchmark that all competitors strive to match.
What sets them apart is a shared mindset built around five core behaviours that keep AI rooted in human‑first strategies:
- Think differently: Don’t wait for change to happen. Create change yourself: challenge assumptions, reframe problems and look for new ways to grow beyond the usual boundaries.
- Embrace curiosity: Ask questions, explore emerging behaviours and dig deeper into customer needs. Use AI to enhance insights and uncover opportunities that may otherwise be missed.
- Connect purposefully: Align people, teams and priorities from the start. Make sure everyone understands the goals and the challenges so innovation solves real problems.
- Learn, test and learn: Treat experimentation as an ongoing process. Encourage rapid iteration, take feedback seriously and adjust quickly to stay ahead.
- Own the ambition: Commit fully to big ideas. Invest the resources, empower the teams and create space for smart risk‑taking that moves innovation forward.
AI can then stop being a stand-alone piece of technology and turn into a catalyst for agility, creativity, innovation and genuine leadership, allowing businesses not just to keep up with change but to shape where their market is going next. Over the past two decades, 71 percent of the incremental value created by the world’s most valuable brands has come from those willing to disrupt themselves or their categories to meet emerging needs. The same opportunity now exists for organisations ready to harness AI with purpose.
