A practical path to maturity, ROI and scalable insight impact

January 29, 2026, at 3 p.m. ET/8 p.m. U.K.Orange rectangular button with “Register Now” written in all caps and white text.

Rival Technologies and Reach3 logo. On the left, ‘Reach3’ is written in bold, black lettering with a blue speech bubble before the ‘R.’ On the right, ‘Rival’ is written in all capped, bolded and white lettering in a red square speech bubble. Under both, centered is black, capped text that reads “RIVAL GROUP COMPANIES.”

In 2026, AI adoption is no longer the primary challenge for many insights teams – maturity is. According to MRII, 62% of research teams already use AI, and research from Rival Technologies shows that 46% of researchers plan to increase their AI budgets this year. Yet across many organizations, AI impact still shows up as scattered micro-wins rather than sustained, scalable value. 

A key issue facing research teams is the lack of a clear framework for measuring what’s working. 

In this session, panelists will share the AI Maturity & Value Ladder developed for Innovation Insiders, Rival Technologies’ AI education initiative for insights professionals. The framework shows how AI value evolves – from early experimentation and workflow efficiency to the ultimate goal of enterprise intelligence. 

The session will also explore ROI, focusing on how to anchor measurement to specific jobs to be done and business outcomes that resonate with the C-suite. 

Panelists will discuss practical ways research teams can assess where they are today, identify what’s holding them back and move AI from experimentation into operational, leadership-ready impact. 

Key takeaways:

  1. A clear lens for evaluating their position on the AI maturity and value ladder.
  2. Practical ways to think about ROI as a scoreboard for scaling AI responsibly.
  3. Guidance on identifying which AI use cases should move from testing into scale. 

Presenters:

Jason Jacobson’ circular headshot on a white background.Jason Jacobson, Senior Director, Consumer Insights, Sekisui House
 
Jason is driven by the process of understanding why people behave the way they do so brands can create effective messages, products and solutions that captivate and inspire the hearts and minds of consumers and drive growth.
Andrew Reid’s circular headshot on a red background.Andrew Reid, CEO and Founder, Rival Technologies

 Andrew Reid is the founder and CEO of Rival Technologies, co-CEO of Rival Group and founder and former president of Vision Critical (now called Alida). In 2017, he launched Rival Technologies and its sister company Reach3 Insights to help modernize the research industry. Andrew has been selected as a finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award and was further honored as one of Canada's top 40 under 40 by Caldwell Partners International and The Globe and Mail. In 2011, he completed the Stanford University's Graduate School of Business Executive Program.
Patricia Chapin-Bayley, Senior Vice President, Reach3 Insights

Patricia (Trish) is senior vice president at Reach3 Insights, a modern insights consultancy specializing in AI-accelerated, conversational research.