Insight Forum Meeting Overview, Global Marketer Week (March 2025)

Next-Gen Insights: Building capabilities that matter

The WFA Insight Forum held in Brussels on March 19, 2025, brought together 35 WFA members to explore how AI is transforming the CMI function — and what capabilities are most needed to build a future-fit insights team. The session focused on accelerating AI adoption, upskilling talent, and creating the right structures and mindsets to unlock strategic value from data and technology. Key highlights included:

1. Bridging insights & tech to unlock AI-powered consumer centricity: One member shared how they reframed GenAI not just as a tool, but as a way to rewire marketing itself — through deep collaboration across insights, tech, and marketing.
2. Embedding AI in Insights: the good, the bad & the ugly: Another member showed how a diverse AI taskforce tackled practical adoption barriers, building trust through responsible experimentation, data governance, and internal capability-building.
3. The “Insights playground”: a space to explore, fail, learn and have fun: The third member presentation revealed how agile structures, AI-powered knowledge platforms, and a culture of curiosity are enabling faster, smarter, more human-centred research.
4. Workshop: Enabling AI readiness across Insights teams: Participants assessed their organisation’s current maturity, identified key blockers (from fragmented data to lack of leadership buy-in), and co-created actionable solutions for embedding AI with purpose.
5. Workshop: Critical capabilities for future-ready Insights teams: Attendees prioritised human-centric capabilities like storytelling, foresight, and strategic thinking — and shared ideas for fostering learning, breaking silos, and building influence beyond reporting.

 The forum underscored that AI readiness in insights isn’t just about tools — it’s about intentional leadership, continuous capability building, and connecting people, platforms, and purpose.

WFA members can access below the meeting overview and slides from the day.