Talking Insights
Researchers work every day to understand the changing landscape around them - but what deeper insights can we find through their work that can help shape our future? Join Esomar on a journey of discovery, as we bring together guests from around the globe to explore the biggest questions of today, diving deeper into the challenges that face our society, and uncover new insights about the world around us.
Talking Insights
The Future of Emotion Analytics in Market Research — Wisdom or Overhype?
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Welcome back to Talking Insights.
In this episode, we sat down with John Cohen, CEO and founder of Kindling EVA, and Saul Cohen, the company’s co-founder and Head of Product, to explore one of the most important questions in AI today: can machines truly understand human emotion?
Together with their team of emotion scientists and developers, John and Saul spent two years identifying what was missing from existing emotion analytics before building a new model designed to better reflect how people really feel. Their work has already been used by global brands like Sky, Unilever, Kellanova, Leo Burnett, and more to help shape products and communications that connect more effectively with audiences.
The conversation goes deep on the complexity of emotion—especially sarcasm, nuance, context, and cultural differences—and why simplifying feelings into a handful of categories can lead to the wrong decisions. John also shares insights from his book, Asking for Trouble, while both guests discuss the future of emotion AI, the risks of synthetic respondents, and why human oversight still matters.
If you’re interested in market research, AI, product development, or the future of understanding people, this episode is packed with thoughtful takeaways about how technology should support, not replace, human insight.
Learn more about Jon's book: https://askingfortrouble.net/
and about Kindling EVA: https://www.kindlingeva.com/
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Talking Insights is a Research World and Esomar production.
Hosted by Antonio Almeida
Music by FreeMusicForVideo from Pixabay
Graphics by Brandon Heim
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If you’d like to be featured in a future episode or share your story, send us an email at podcast@esomar.org.
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