Synthetic Personas: Silver Bullet in Consumer Research?

Synthetic personas are here. But are they truly insight – or just AI-shaped reflections of our prompts?

In this session, we’ll critically explore the emerging practice of using synthetic consumers to accelerate research, test hypotheses, and support strategic decision-making. Fuelled by generative AI, these personas promise instant feedback loops, reduced dependency on fieldwork, and broader access to consumer thinking. But beneath the surface lies a complex interplay between data, narrative, and invention.

Over the past year, we’ve worked across different synthetic persona models – some built from robust real-world datasets, others generated from thin air. We’ve tested them in creative development, journey design, brand planning, and product innovation. This session shares what we’ve learned: how to use them well, when to be cautious, and why grounding personas in real human data is essential if we want to avoid a hall of mirrors.

We’ll open by unpacking the different types of synthetic personas, sharing applied cases and best practices. From there, the session turns interactive: together, we’ll fine-tune a persona live and probe its responses. You’ll see firsthand how AI “thinks” through human behaviour – and where it can mislead, hallucinate, or overstate.
This isn’t a sales pitch or AI hype fest. It’s a conversation among researchers, designers, and strategists who care deeply about understanding people—and who want to bring rigour, ethics, and creativity to a rapidly changing toolset.

We’ll close with an open exchange - inviting your perspectives, challenges, and provocations. Let’s co-create the future of our craft with clarity, responsibility, and curiosity.