Writing · Op-eds · A read on the market
A read on the market.
Op-eds, articles and positions on how AI transforms marketing research — by Dr Laurent Flores, professor at Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas, past president of ESOMAR, founder of FlashInsight.
Research — peer-reviewed publications
Work published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Op-eds — MR News
Op-eds published in the reference French outlet for marketing research.
Marketing research and AI, 18 months on: the shift is here.
Six months after the first op-ed, an update: AI is redefining the relationship between measurement and decision, not just the speed at which studies are produced.
The fifth generation won't be an evolution — it'll be a revolution.
Why generative AI forces a recomposition of the research value chain — ideation, modeling, testing, scenarios — rather than a simple productivity gain.
LinkedIn — FlashInsight newsletter & articles
A regular read on what AI actually changes for marketing decisions.
From add-on to backbone: when synthetic moves upstream.
Why synthetic stops being a side gadget and becomes a structural step of the research workflow.
The problem with synthetic audiences isn't audiences — it's certainty.
Reframing the debate from real-vs-artificial to grounded-vs-under-specified.
Talks
Professional conferences and workshops.
Panel “AI, what's next?” — How AI is transforming the research, insights and marketing professions.
Panel at the AdWanted Research Awards 2026, on how generative AI is reshaping the research → insights → marketing value chain.
AI & Insight — Where we are in 2026. A conversation with practitioners and leaders.
A collective check on the actual state of the market, and on what AI changes for marketing decisions — beyond the noise.
The blog
Long-form notes, reference guides and field takes — on what AI-assisted marketing research changes, and what it doesn't.
What Is a Synthetic Panel? A Reference Guide to Synthetic Respondents and the Fifth Generation of Market Research
A reference guide to synthetic panels: what they are, how synthetic respondents are actually built, what the industry is really doing, what the science says, and where they create decision-grade value — framed as the fifth generation of market research.
The Fake AI Monet, and Why Your Synthetic Persona Will Get the Same Treatment
A viral hoax — a real Monet passed off as AI-generated and torn apart by online critics — quietly replicates twenty years of psychology research. The same bias is now distorting the synthetic-research debate. The real question is not 'is it human or synthetic?' The real question is: does it help you decide?
To discuss one of these topics, a recent piece, or a project.
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