Fresh from being named a Market Research Society (MRS) Research Hero for 2025, Mustard’s in-house AI expert Anthony Shephard-Williams brings his trademark balance of curiosity and caution to his latest blog. In this post, he reflects on a sobering conversation with AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton and asks: what role should market research (and researchers) play in ensuring AI is used not just intelligently, but ethically?
Another day, another AI related podcast to listen to. This time it came courtesy of Steven Bartlett (The Diary of a CEO) and it must be said this one had me gripped from the start.
Geoffrey Hinton featured. For those of you who don’t know, he is a Fellow of the Royal Society and the National Academy of Sciences and received the Turing Award in 2018, alongside Yoshua Bengio and Yann LeCun for their work on deep learning. Geoffrey is very highly respected and has even been dubbed as the “Godfather of AI”. So, when he says that he wishes he would have spoken up sooner about the potential risks of AI, I’m all ears.
While the conversation on the podcast was rich with insight, it came with a heavy dose of realism too. Hinton’s message? We’re on the brink of powerful change and not all of it will be comfortable.
He spoke candidly about the risks: AI-driven misinformation, job displacement, an increase in AI cyber-attacks and a worrying lack of regulation around military use. And while the headlines might make you wince (10–20% chance of AI wiping out humanity, anyone?), what’s clear is that AI isn’t just another tool. It’s a force. And we need to be ready.
At Mustard, we’re definitely not AI doomsayers, but we are serious about its responsible use. We’re actively investing our time, thinking and strategic discussions into understanding AI’s capabilities and limitations. We’re experimenting, learning, and applying it ethically, whether that’s in how we analyse data, design research tools, or inform strategic decisions for our clients.
We see AI as a co-pilot, not a replacement. And we’re determined to use it in ways that elevate human thinking, not erase it. Let’s face it, if we all just had to push a button and the technology did all the work for us, our jobs wouldn’t be very fulfilling. Would we even have jobs?
That’s the paradox at the heart of AI. It promises efficiency, yet threatens identity and meaning. The more we automate, the more we must ask: What is the value we, as humans, uniquely bring? And increasingly, that value is not speed or scale but sense-making.
That’s also why critical thinking has never been more important. In a world where AI can generate convincing content in seconds and amplify falsehoods at scale, our ability to question, interrogate, and apply human judgement is essential.
AI might give us more data, faster. But it’s critical thinking that turns that data into decisions that make sense. That means asking tough questions, challenging assumptions, and keeping people (not just progress) at the centre of everything we do.
This isn’t about fear. It’s about responsibility. And we’re here for it. Ethical AI doesn’t just mean setting limits. It means designing with intent, engaging with uncertainty, and putting long-term human interests ahead of short-term convenience. It means staying awake at the wheel because, unlike the machines, we still have morals, empathy and perspective.
If you get the chance to listen, it’s well worth investing the 1 hour and 30 minutes. I listened to it on Spotify but it’s available on several streaming platforms. And if you to explore how AI can enhance (rather than replace) your research thinking, I’m always happy to share examples of ethical innovation and AI adoption. Drop me an email, or let’s continue the conversation on LinkedIn.
