#835: Qualtrics' Jordan Harper on using synthetic panels to get real insight
The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström®: Expert Mode Marketing Technology, AI, & CX
The Agile Brand
4.9 • 113 Ratings
🗓️ 27 March 2026
⏱️ 23 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What if the most honest and insightful feedback you could get about your customers didn't come from an actual customer at all?
Agility requires not just the ability to pivot quickly, but the foresight to know *which way* to turn. That foresight is built on a foundation of deep, unbiased insights, which are becoming increasingly difficult to get through traditional means.
We are in Seattle at the Qualtrics X4 Summit, and today, we're going to talk about a fundamental shift in how we gather customer insights. We'll explore the diminishing returns of traditional research and dive into the potential of synthetic panels—AI models trained to represent audiences without the fatigue, bias, or social desirability that can skew human responses. It's a move from merely confirming what we think we know to discovering what's truly possible.
To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Jordan Harper, Principal AI Thought Leader, Edge Center of Excellence at Qualtrics.
About Jordan Harper
With a career spanning nuclear physics, software engineering, digital transformation, and customer experience strategy, Jordan brings a fresh perspective to technology’s role in understanding people and markets. He has advised global brands, led innovation programs, and built products across industries from financial services to fast-casual dining.Drawing on this diverse background, Jordan excels in working with clients to help them realize how AI-powered synthetic research can not only deliver faster and more cost-effective results, but also introduces surprising benefits and fresh perspectives into a market researcher's toolkit.
Jordan Harper on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanharper/
Resources
Qualtrics: https://www.qualtrics.com
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Agile Brand |
| 0:02.3 | Welcome to Season 8 of the Agile Brand podcast. |
| 0:10.1 | This season we're going all in on expert mode |
| 0:12.7 | MARTEC, AI, and customer experience, |
| 0:15.7 | talking with the people and platforms behind the brands you know and love. |
| 0:19.4 | I'm Greg Kilstrom, your host, and I help |
| 0:21.7 | Fortune 1000 companies make sense of Martec, AI, and marketing ops. Hit subscribe or follow to make |
| 0:28.2 | sure you always get the latest episodes and leave us a rating so others can find us as well. And make |
| 0:33.1 | sure you check out our sponsor, Tech Systems, an industry leader in full-stack technology services, |
| 0:38.5 | talent services, and real-world application. For more information, go to teK-systems.com. Now let's |
| 0:45.6 | dive in. What if the most honest and insightful feedback you could get about your customers |
| 0:52.7 | didn't come from an actual customer |
| 0:54.4 | at all. |
| 0:55.6 | We're here in Seattle at Qualtricks X-4 Summit, and today we're going to talk about a fundamental |
| 1:00.0 | shift in how we gather customer insights. |
| 1:03.4 | We're going to explore the diminishing returns of traditional research and dive into the potential |
| 1:07.3 | of synthetic panels. |
| 1:09.0 | AI models trained to represent audiences without the fatigue, |
| 1:12.7 | bias, or social desirability that can skew human responses. It's a move from merely confirming |
| 1:18.1 | what we think we know to discovering what's truly possible. To tell me to discuss this topic, |
| 1:22.5 | I'd like to welcome Jordan Harper, principal AI thought leader, Edge Center of Excellence at Qualtrics. |
| 1:27.6 | Jordan, welcome to the show. |
... |
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