This year’s study shows a sharp increase in AI adoption, especially among corporate researchers.
Time savings in routine tasks and streamlined processes are seen as the major benefits, with large increases reported in use of AI for literature reviews, questionnaire development. Only minorities see benefits for improved insights for improved decision-making support with AI tools
Concern about job loss is increasing versus 2024, although is not yet at the majority level
April 3, 2025 – [West Dover VT] –The Market Research Institute International (MRII) has released its second annual global study, AI in Focus 2025: How Market Researchers Are Embracing and Adapting to Generative AI, offering a comprehensive look at how artificial intelligence is being used by market research professionals and its perceived impact on their work.
This year’s findings show that adoption of AI tools continues to rise significantly. Sixty-two percent of respondents say they or members of their team are currently using AI in their work, up 23 percentage points from last year when only 4 in 10 researchers reported using it. The most notable increase occurred among corporate researchers, whose use of AI rose by 37 points—closing the gap with agency-side researchers. A year ago, agency researchers were twice as likely as corporate researchers to be using AI.
Ed Keller, Executive Director of MRII, said, “The results are fascinating and can serve as a guide to leaders in our industry about the ways their workforce is thinking about AI, as well as for any researcher who wants to benchmark their views against peers. The study also reveals an overall optimism about the role that AI can play in the daily work life of market research professionals, and sheds light on the importance of training and learning about AI.”
Key findings from AI in Focus 2025 include:
- AI usage is increasing across teams: 62% of respondents say “most” or “some” of their team is using AI, compared to 39% last year.
- Corporate researchers are rapidly catching up: A 37-point increase in AI use was recorded among corporate-side professionals, creating parity with agency-side counterparts.
- Favorable views remain steady: 77% say they feel very or mostly favorable about AI in relation to their job and company.
- Most expect a positive impact: 71% of market researchers believe AI will improve their job in the coming years.
- Common uses include literature reviews (53%, +19 points from 2024), questionnaire development (50%, +20 points), and learning new skills (36%).
- Key benefits of AI according to the research are time savings (85%, +7 points vs. 2024), efficiency for things like data processing and analysis (76%, +1 point) and streamlined report generation and automation (63%, -2 points). Fewer than half site benefits such as improved insights, better integration across data sets, or improved decision-making support.
- Some concerns are rising: While a 53% majority of researchers are not worried about personal job loss, the proportion expressing some level of concern increased slightly from last year (47%, +6 points).
- Further, majorities are aware of issues such as potential bias in AI algorithms (72%), data privacy and security concerns (69%), increased dependence on AI at the expense of human judgment (63%), and ethical concerns (60%). Potential job reductions due to automation is seen as a concern to 46%, up 8 points from last year – the largest increase of any item.
The report also explores differences between “power users” of AI—those whose teams have integrated AI extensively—and the broader sample. These power users tend to report more benefits, broader applications, and fewer concerns.
The 2025 study is based on 426 online interviews with market researchers around the world, conducted in February 2025, in partnership with MRII sponsor QuestionPro.
About MRII
The Market Research Institute International (MRII) is a nonprofit institute devoted to fulfilling the continuing educational and training needs of marketing research professionals worldwide. The organization believes that training and development is key to realizing the full potential and value of market research and insights, and to driving innovation within the sector. MRII offers a wide number of resources, including expert webinars and content, global and regional awards programs, and original research on critical insights industry topics. Its market-leading online educational courses, offered in partnership with the University of Georgia, are authored by leading research and insights practitioners, continually updated, and endorsed by major national and international professional and industry organizations. To learn more, visit www.mrii.org
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