In this episode of Trust and Influence in B2B Marketing, Joel Harrison sits down with Eddie O'Brien, Senior Director of Global Customer Insight at Sage. Together, they explore the transformative shift happening in market research and customer insight—moving beyond generative AI into the world of agentic intelligence, where AI doesn't just answer questions but actively collects data, analyzes it, and makes autonomous decisions in real time.➡ Eddie challenges the narrative that AI will replace human insight professionals, arguing instead for a powerful partnership where AI handles the "explicit" data while humans focus on the "implicit"—the unsaid emotional needs and behavioral nuances that create true competitive advantage. He shares how Sage is already using AI to compress three-month research projects into hours, while maintaining quality through side-by-side testing of traditional methods against AI-powered approaches. The conversation covers practical use cases including how agentic AI is revolutionizing the briefing process, eliminating knowledge management gaps, and helping teams overcome inherent human biases. Eddie also addresses the critical trust question: how do you build stakeholder confidence when AI is informing major business decisions? His answer involves transparency, hybrid approaches, and demonstrating strong correlations between AI-generated and traditional research outputs.If you're a B2B marketer, insight professional, or strategist wondering how AI will reshape your function—and what skills will remain uniquely human—this conversation offers both clarity and optimism about the future.Follow Eddie O'Brien https://linkedin.com/in/edwardaobrien/ https://www.sage.comIf you care about staying ahead in the AI-augmented future of B2B marketing and customer insight, this conversation is for you. It's practical, forward-thinking, and packed with real-world examples that can help you understand where to invest your energy as the industry transforms.🌐Visit Joel Harrison's website to explore exclusive reports, upcoming events, and join the B2B marketing community ➡ https://www.joelharrisonb2b.com/💬What aspects of your insight or research work do you think AI will augment first? Let us know in the comments below.🔔Subscribe to the channel for weekly insights, interviews, and on-the-ground perspectives from the world of B2B marketing. https://youtube.com/@JoelHarrison-B2B?sub_confirmation=1Chapters:00:00 Introduction: Welcome to Trust and Influence in B2B01:00 About Sage: 40 Years of Innovation in Business Software02:30 The Three Eras of Customer Insight and Market Research04:45 Understanding Agentic AI: Beyond Generative AI07:15 Real-World Use Case: Compressing 3-Month Projects into Hours10:30 The Quality Question: Testing AI Against Traditional Methods13:00 AI vs Human in Thought Leadership: A Partnership, Not Replacement16:00 Building Trust and Confidence with AI-Generated Insights20:00 The Explicit vs Implicit: Where Human Insight Becomes Non-Negotiable24:00 Transforming the Briefing Process with AI28:30 Overcoming Human Bias and Knowledge Management Challenges32:45 AI's Role in Different Marketing Activities and Thought Leadership36:15 The Future of B2B Marketing: Where AI Excels and Where Experiential Wins39:00 Looking Ahead: What Percentage of Insight Work Will Be AI-Augmented?📲Follow Joel Harrison and Trust...

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