New Digital 'Twin Communities' Offer from Human8

Global insight firm Human8 has launched an AI-powered digital twin solution building on its deep experience of online communities.

Human8 began life as InSites Consulting, which helped to pioneer the field of insight communities, and has added expertise in many other areas of research and res tech including AI-based innovation techniques. The firm has acquired nine companies since 2019, and despite trimming headcount in the last few years still employs more than 600 people across 22 offices.

The company says market changes are pushing organisations towards more rapid decision-making, but that this cannot come at the expense of a deep understanding of the people behind the data: Twin Communities aim to solve this by bringing a consumer perspective 'grounded in real people, culture and context' into everyday exploration of ideas and scenario-testing. Clients can interact directly with their twin communities via Human8's proprietary platform.

Human8 says digital twins are unlike generic AI models - rather than reducing them to 'static personas', they are grounded in 'real human stories, motivations, tensions and behaviours... [and] reflect the complexity and context that shape how people think, feel and make decisions.' The new solution is already being deployed with clients in FMCG and being piloted across financial services, automotive and healthcare.

'Too often, AI gives people answers without enough context,' suggests Chief Innovation Officer Annelies Verhaeghe. 'We set out to change that. Our platform doesn't just let clients interact with their twin communities. It also shows how those perspectives are grounded in real consumer understanding and where AI is making informed extrapolations beyond the available evidence. We believe transparency is essential if organisations want to use AI with confidence.'

Head of Innovation Thomas Troch says the firm is already 'exploring the next generation: future digital twins that allow brands to test strategies against different possible futures.' He explains: 'They're not about predicting exactly what will happen, but about understanding how consumers' needs evolve and how they might respond. That's where the cultural fluency of our Space Doctors team becomes essential.'

The firm is online at www.wearehuman8.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.