Synthetic Research Explained

Synthetic Research Explained, Understanding AI-Powered Audience Testing for Marketers

What is synthetic research and how accurate is it really?

In this episode of That’s What I Call Marketing, Conor Byrne sits down with Dr. Ben Warner, former Chief Data Adviser to the UK Prime Minister and co-founder of Electric Twin, to unpack one of the most talked-about developments in modern market research: synthetic audiences.

This is not ChatGPT pretending to be a consumer. Synthetic research uses real-world survey data, behavioural modelling and large language models to create AI-driven audience simulations that allow organisations to test messaging, product ideas and strategy at speed before committing real budgets. If you work in marketing, insight, product, strategy or leadership, this episode will challenge how you think about research, risk and decision-making.

⏱️ Timestamps

In this episode, we cover:

How synthetic audiences are built from real-world data

Why traditional surveys can be slow, expensive and restrictive

How AI allows teams to iterate research questions instantly

The difference between testing ideas safely and making bold decisions blindly

Why trust and validation matter in emerging AI tools

Where synthetic research complements (not replaces) conventional methods

Why this matters

Every organisation says it wants to be “customer-centric”.

But insight is often expensive, delayed, siloed or underused.

Synthetic research introduces a new tool into the decision-making toolkit — one that allows teams to explore, iterate and pressure-test ideas before they go live.

Whether you are a CMO defending budget, a product lead developing a proposition, or a strategy team modelling future scenarios, this conversation explores how AI-driven research could reshape how decisions are made.

If you found this useful, share it with a colleague and subscribe for more conversations with marketing leaders shaping the future of the industry.

🎧 Listen to more episodes of That’s What I Call Marketing

📌 Connect with Conor Byrne for more marketing insight

🔗 Learn more about Electric Twin and synthetic audiences

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.