by AI in qualitative research is creating new possibilities for teams looking to combine depth, scale and speed as business decision-making accelerates.
For Yashan Cama, Head of Brand & Consumer Insights, APAC at Google, advances in AI tooling and research workflows are beginning to change what qualitative research can deliver. The opportunity is not simply to do the same work faster, but to reconsider where qual can add value — including its ability to go broader, not just deeper.
Head of Brand & Consumer Insights, APAC
Ahead of QUAL360 APAC 2026, Yashan shares his perspective on how AI is influencing qualitative research, why qual and quant should not be positioned as competitors, and what continues to bring him back to the QUAL360 community.
Keeping insight ahead of business speed
Yashan’s session at QUAL360 APAC will focus on a challenge facing insight teams across industries: businesses are moving quickly, and research needs to keep up.
“My session will be on how advancements in AI tooling and workflows can help ensure the Insight industry is able to support the increasing velocity at which businesses move and take decisions.”
Rather than treating speed as an end in itself, the question is how new tools can help researchers support decision-making while preserving the value that comes from understanding people in depth.
Go broader, not just deeper
One of the changes Yashan sees is an expansion in the role qualitative research can play.
“Qual research has been rapidly advancing because of technology, perhaps in some ways more so than quantitative solutions. As a result, I think organizations are increasingly looking to it to not just provide scale but also depth.”
For researchers, that creates new possibilities in how qual can be applied.
“As a researcher, this means I can now actively consider qualitative research to help validate findings and go broader, not just deeper.”
How AI is helping bridge the gap
The traditional distinction between qualitative and quantitative research has often been framed around depth versus validation at scale. Yashan believes AI is beginning to challenge that separation.
“In many ways, AI has helped unleash the inherent value (and potential) of qual. Whereas in the past the typical thinking was that you used qual to go very deep but needed quantitative research to validate, we are now seeing AI help to bridge this gap.”
That does not mean qualitative research needs to become quantitative research — or compete with it.
Qual and quant do not need to compete
For Yashan, the value of qualitative research becomes clearer when different methodologies are allowed to serve different purposes.
“I don’t think qualitative research should strive to replace quantitative research or seek to position itself as a competitor. At the end of the day, different methodologies serve different purposes so in many ways I think it should feel more confident about the value that it already brings to the table.”
Applying qualitative research for the right reasons
Yashan also points to the importance of using qualitative research for the right reasons.
“In some instances, traditional qualitative research is still used to validate learnings. While I think this is better than no research, the reason folks might turn to it comes down to cost and I think that is the incorrect application of the methodology.”
His point is that methodology choice should be driven by what the research needs to achieve, rather than primarily by cost.
Why return to QUAL360 APAC?
Yashan also spoke at QUAL360 APAC last year — an experience that gives him a clear reason to return.
“I had an opportunity to speak at the event last year and it was probably the best industry event I have attended. Really interesting talking points, an engaged and passionate audience and an opportunity to have genuine, forward thinking discussions with people from different backgrounds and businesses.”
Reading & listening
QUAL360: We publish reading and listening guides on our blog — what would you recommend to peers for inspiration, learning, or leadership?
Yashan: I’m a big reader of history and politics but this year I leaned back into fiction and I have really loved it. I’ve always been a big fan of F Scott Fitzgerald but I’ve been immersing myself in the works of John Steinbeck and earlier this year read East of Eden. I’m somewhat excited it is coming out as a Netflix series and will hopefully get people interested in reading fiction and his works.
Keeping insight ahead of business speed at QUAL360 APAC 2026
Across QUAL360 APAC 2026, one of the central questions is how research teams can keep insight useful as decision cycles accelerate and new AI tools reshape research workflows. Yashan’s perspective connects directly to that challenge: if qualitative research can combine depth with greater scale, the opportunity is not simply to adopt new technology, but to understand how it can support better evidence and faster business decision-making.
In his session, THE NEXT STANDARD IN QUAL: KEEPING INSIGHT AHEAD OF BUSINESS SPEED WITH NEW TOOLS AND WORKFLOWS, Yashan will explore how advances in AI tooling and workflows can help the insights industry respond to the increasing velocity at which businesses move and take decisions. The discussion builds directly on the ideas raised in this interview — using AI to extend the value of qual, going broader without losing depth, and allowing different methodologies to contribute where they are strongest.
The wider programme brings together research and insights leaders from organisations including Google, Meta, Pandora, Cathay Pacific, Bayer, Haleon, DBS, Grab, 3M, L’Oréal India, HP and FairPrice Group, with sessions spanning qualitative research, consumer insights, AI-enabled workflows, UX research and research operations.
Explore QUAL360 APAC 2026 | 3–4 November 2026 | Aloft Singapore Novena.
