The Originality Imperative in the Age of AI

Overview

Many organizations have started to leverage AI to shape market strategies, test product concepts with synthetic customers, and predict consumer preferences.

As organizations increasingly use AI as a “strategic agent”, where will value and unique competitive advantage come from? Will AI’s limitations become apparent, or will confidence in its capabilities as a ‘strategic agent’ continue to grow? As AI-generated data and strategies become instantaneous, will fewer companies and decision-makers recognize the value of context-rich, experiential, and deliberative analysis? Will rapid decision-making take precedence over strategic quality?

This salon explores the proposition that true competitive advantage will increasingly stem from what AI cannot provide alone. Participants will generate new ideas and techniques for making strategy and insight original, valuable, and successful within specific organizational, social, and market contexts.

References for Participants

Bikard, Michaël. “Innovation & How Zeitgeist Can Bring an Invention to Fruition.” https://knowledge.insead.edu/strategy/innovation-plucked-zeitgeist

Franck, Thomas. “Figma as an Example of Disruptor.” https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/10/figma-2025-cnbc-disruptor-50.html

Nobel Prize Organization. “Development of mRNA Vaccines.” https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2023/press-release/

Swain, Jon. “A24 and the Rewards of Banking on Original, Indie Directors.” https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/mar/11/a24-oscars-indie-producer-everything-everywhere-all-at-once

Yu, Kaikai, et al. “AI-Assisted Pharmaceutical Innovation.” https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037851732500626X

About the Hosts

Adri Reksodipoetro, Managing Director, Nation Insights

Adri Reksodipoetro is the Managing Director of Nation, a qualitative research firm delivering fresh, authentic perspectives on Asia and the Emerging World. For almost a decade he has helped Google localize Search, Assistant, and now Gemini in Southeast Asia, each requiring deep insight into how people process information through the lens of their local context and cultural frameworks.

Tara Mullaney, Nordic UX Research Lead, If Insurance

Tara serves as the Nordic UX Research Lead at If Insurance, where she is responsible for advancing the organization’s UX research practice and ensuring that user insights inform business and product strategy. With over 11 years of experience in strategic, mixed-methods research, she has contributed to the user-centered development of products and services within insurance and healthcare (her passion area). Tara holds a PhD in Industrial Design from the Umeå Institute of Design and is based in Stockholm, Sweden.

What Is a Salon?

In Salons, we gather in smaller groups to build collective intelligence about pressing or emerging topics. Hosts set the stage with key points and provocations, then participants drive the discussion, sharing diverse expertise and experiences. We come away with deeper understanding, new strategies and tactics for our work, and a wonderful network of thought partners.