Curiosity got faster—and a lot more practical. We sit down with Tim Lawton of SightX and Russell Evans of ZS to unpack a partnership that blends expert humans with integrated AI to rethink how insights teams generate ideas, validate concepts, and influence big bets. No bolt-ons, no buzzwords—just a clearer path from question to decision.

We start with the reality that researchers live under a microscope, then show how automation can remove the drudgery without losing the judgment that matters. Tim explains how SightX streamlines end-to-end survey workflows, analytics, and dashboards so small teams can do more with less. Russell shares why ZS sought a partner that treats AI as the core engine, not a layer, and how the combo is helping brands compress months of work into weeks while improving the odds of success.

You’ll hear a concrete CPG case where data-driven concept generation plus rapid, integrated validation shaved time and lifted purchase intent by 29% in a human-in-the-loop process. We break down what separates pilot purgatory from real adoption: leadership “air cover,” incentives that reward experimentation, and new roles that scan the market and align tools to strategy. We also get candid about risk, governance, and where AI belongs in the stack—use it where it accelerates insight and keeps humans focused on meaning and action.

We close with a sharp take on synthetic data: explore it for low-stakes ideation, but mine real, underused signals first—reviews, long-form social, and contact center data—when the decision matters. If you’re ready to scale consumer insights, speed up concept testing, and make better calls with AI you can trust, hit play and tell us where you want to move faster next. Subscribe, share with a teammate who needs air cover, and leave a review to help others find the conversation.

If “modernizing” sounds like a buzzword, this conversation turns it into a blueprint. We sit with retail veteran Art Sebastian to trace how a beloved convenience chain moved from hometown habits to a unified, omni-channel engine - without breaking trust or losing its core. The journey starts with customer truth and a clear-eyed data audit, then builds toward a single customer view that powers relevance across email, SMS, push, and in-app experiences. The result isn’t just more messages; it’s fewer blind spots, cleaner consent, and faster baskets.

We go inside the organics of change: how a brand creates a Digital Experience team from scratch, scales talent with a two-in-the-box model, and ultimately merges digital, media, PR, and e-commerce into one omni-channel group. Art shares why a customer data platform (CDP) is the spine of modern retail - making identity resolution, privacy compliance, segmentation, and retail media networks both possible and profitable. We also dig into Gen Z’s sharp expectations: personalization over platitudes, time saved over slogans, and social content that feels native rather than promotional.

Then we fast-forward into the AI era - predictive, generative, and agentic. You’ll hear practical wins retailers are already capturing (recommendations, send-time optimization, labor scheduling) and a candid look at what’s next as AI agents start coordinating across systems. The takeaway is both empowering and cautionary: IT skills will shift from vendor management to integration mastery, and leaders must defend critical thinking even as automation scales. If you’re steering a grocery, c-store, or retail brand through transformation, this is a roadmap you can actually use.

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Jack Myers, founder of the Myers Report and Media Village Education Foundation, takes us beyond the typical AI conversation into the profound human implications of artificial intelligence. Drawing from his book "The Tao of Leadership," Myers explores how agentic AI—autonomous systems that interpret goals, make decisions, and evolve in real-time—will fundamentally transform business operations and leadership dynamics.

"Agentic AI is fast becoming the mirror of the modern executive," Myers explains, describing how these systems will reflect leadership qualities with unprecedented transparency. Rather than replacing humans, these agents free people to focus on what they do uniquely well: creating, empathizing, imagining, and leading. But organizations must act quickly. The traditional innovation approach of methodical "bridge building" no longer works in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Instead, Myers advocates "building portals"—immediate entry points for experiencing and learning from AI technologies directly.

Recent developments like the Modern Contextual Protocol (MCP) are accelerating this transformation, enabling AI systems to develop deeper contextual understanding. As these technologies mature, the gap between organizations embracing AI and those hesitating will widen dramatically. This creates not just operational divides but potentially new categories of "haves and have-nots" in terms of technological access and capability. Myers's advice to emerging professionals is unambiguous: avoid companies that aren't investing in AI and integrating it into workflows.

The conversation raises crucial questions about ethics, governance, and human qualities in leadership. How do we ensure AI systems incorporate empathy and ethical considerations? How must leaders evolve to balance technological capabilities with distinctly human qualities like emotional intelligence and creativity? Myers challenges us to consider these questions not as distant concerns but as immediate imperatives for anyone hoping to thrive in the AI-transformed business landscape of today and tomorrow.