Minnesota Bills Targeting Automated Decision Systems and Research Data Privacy Defeated -- Would Have Imposed Sweeping New Restrictions on Insights Operations Howard Fienberg Government Affairs 6/8/2026 7:50:00 AM A pair of bills in Minnesota that would have restricted the use of AI-like automated decision systems regarding research subjects who receive incentives, and added a new layer of data privacy restrictions, have been defeated. H.F. 4445 and S.F. 4689 would have been enforced via private litigation, creating significant legal risks for organizations conducting market research, analytics and insights in Minnesota. Read More
The Researcher's Role in an AI World: The Research You Never Find Administrator 6/4/2026 7:38:00 AM As AI tools get faster and more capable, our responsibility to ask harder questions at the start of a search only increases. Read More
California Bill Defeated - Would Have Prohibited Synthetic Data and AI Training with Research Subject Data (A.B. 2027) Howard Fienberg Government Affairs 6/1/2026 5:24:00 PM California A.B. 2027, legislation opposed by the Insights Association that would have prohibited the use of personal information provided by any research subjects (if they received an incentive for participation) for purposes of (1) training artificial intelligence (AI) systems or tools or (2) building synthetic data, personas or respondents, has died. Read More
Summer Tips to Get Away from Tactics Hindering the Efficiency and Impact of Insights Administrator 5/30/2026 7:00:00 AM As the time for summer vacations approaches, insights leaders tell us what aspects of market research organizations need to get away from to enhance their efficiency and elevate their impact. Read More
Fighting for You May 2026 Legislative and Regulatory Update Howard Fienberg Government Affairs 5/28/2026 4:33:00 PM In May, the Insights Association advanced advocacy on federal privacy legislation, pushed back against restrictive state and federal AI proposals, defended the future of the census, and rallied support for landmark California taste testing research legislation, all while helping members navigate an increasingly complex compliance landscape. Read More
Scaling B2B Personas & Journeys with AI While Anchoring in UX Fundamentals Administrator 5/24/2026 9:28:00 AM This approach bridges the gap between marketing’s need for scalable, actionable personas and UX’s commitment to deep user understanding. Read More
The Trust Conditions of AI-driven Research: A working guide to the implementation of the Insights Association's Code of Ethics Administrator 5/21/2026 4:10:00 PM The profession is setting its own standards through self-regulation, and the way to protect that autonomy is to use the Code proactively, early and often, as a competitive feature rather than compliance overhead. Read More
Meet Gen Alpha – The First Generation to Come of Age Inside a Polycultural World Administrator 5/20/2026 11:56:00 AM An excerpt from David R. Morse's new book, Polycultural Intelligence: Eight Rules for Connecting with Generation Alpha. Read More
Record State Privacy Fines in 2025 - Focus on Compliance Howard Fienberg Government Affairs 5/14/2026 5:09:00 PM A new study estimates that "U.S. states gave out $3.425 billion in privacy-related fines in 2025," highlighting the importance for insights companies and organizations to focus on compliance with the growing patchwork of state privacy laws. Read More
Proposed Independent Contractor Status Rules from U.S. Department of Labor Raise IA Concerns About Classification of Research Subjects Howard Fienberg Government Affairs 4/24/2026 4:23:00 PM The Trump Administration has revived its proposed regulatory approach to independent contractor status from the President’s first term. The Insights Association expressed concern that the rules may not help the insights industry unless they affirm that research subjects who receive incentives are independent contractors, not employees. Read More