Presenters: Cody Dodd and Guy Gordon, Co-Founders, ResearchAI
Format: Thought Leadership Presentation
Abstract
Generative AI promised to revolutionize research insights. Instead, it created "workslop"—the Harvard Business Review's term for AI-generated content that looks polished but requires extensive validation. Research shows 41% of professionals encounter workslop monthly, costing organizations an average of two hours per incident. For a 10,000-employee organization, that translates to over $9 million annually in hidden productivity losses.
For market researchers, the stakes are higher. Our credibility depends on reproducible, defensible methodology. When clients ask "how do you know this is accurate?" pointing to an AI black box isn't an answer—it's a liability.
This session challenges the industry's rush toward pure GenAI solutions and presents a validation-first alternative. Drawing on implementations with ESDC (recipient of an Outstanding Innovation Award), the Yukon Government, UK councils, and Region of Peel, I'll demonstrate how hybrid architectures—where traditional data science validates patterns before AI synthesizes findings—deliver both the speed clients demand and the rigour our profession requires.
Attendees will explore: the hidden economics of workslop in research operations; why 95% of GenAI pilots fail and what separates successful implementations; a practical framework for "validation-first" AI deployment; and how to position methodological transparency as competitive advantage.
The age of instant doesn't require sacrificing depth—it requires smarter architecture. This session shows how.
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