MRSI Adopts Updated Ethics Code for AI-Driven Insights Industry – A New Standard for Transparency & Accountability in Research
What Happened — A Major Shift in Ethics for Data-Driven Insights
The Market Research Society of India (MRSI) has formally adopted the 2025 version of the ICC/ESOMAR International Code on Market, Opinion, and Social Research and Data Analytics. This updated ethics code is designed to tighten the standards for transparency, accountability, and data practices in market research, opinion polling, and data analytics.
In the wake of AI-powered data analysis and synthetic data usage becoming prevalent across industries, MRSI’s move reflects an urgent need for ethical governance in AI-driven insights and data-based marketing.
This update comes as a critical step in shaping the future of research methodologies — with a growing reliance on data, AI, and machine learning to make high-stakes business decisions.
Key Insights From This Update
1. AI and Synthetic Data Are Changing the Game
The expansion of AI-driven insights and synthetic data in market research has raised questions around transparency and bias. MRSI’s adoption of the updated ICC/ESOMAR code mandates more stringent requirements for how research is sourced, processed, and presented to clients.
This is a significant development — ensuring that consumers of research (brands, marketers, and media agencies) can trust the accuracy, fairness, and ethical nature of the data they are using.
2. Ethical Data Practices Become a Non-Negotiable Standard
As AI takes on a larger role in gathering and analyzing data, the risks of unethical or non-transparent data usage grow. The updated code emphasizes full transparency in data collection, clear consent flows, and verifiable sourcing — ensuring ethical integrity is maintained across all stages of data handling.
The focus is on:
- Data privacy
- Synthetic data transparency
- Clear research methodologies
For marketers and businesses that rely on AI-generated insights, this is a significant update that ensures both ethical conduct and consumer trust.
3. The Growing Role of Accountability in Research
As brands increase their reliance on AI-powered insights for key business decisions, accountability is more important than ever. The updated MRSI code includes new guidelines around how research agencies must disclose their data sources, methodologies, and analysis tools, ensuring consistent accountability for all insights shared.
This adds a layer of responsibility — especially important in a country like India, where data and privacy concerns are rising rapidly.
Why This Matters for Marketers and Ad-Tech Firms
1. Transparency Equals Trust
Brands are increasingly relying on AI and machine learning for insights, but they need to know they can trust the data. MRSI’s new ethics standards will foster more trust among marketers and consumers alike, creating a transparent environment where data integrity is the top priority.
2. AI Adoption Must Align With Ethics
The growing reliance on AI for targeting, segmentation, and consumer insights means ethical data practices will directly impact brand perception. Marketers and ad-tech firms must ensure that their data collection, analysis, and targeting practices meet these new standards or risk non-compliance and reputation damage.
How Brands Should Respond to These Changes
- Adopt transparency-driven research practices
- Update AI and synthetic data protocols to align with MRSI standards
- Revise data collection and consent flow mechanisms
- Ensure clear disclosure of methodologies
Staying ahead of these regulatory changes will not only help brands avoid penalties but also bolster their reputation as responsible digital entities in the evolving market landscape.
Where Digilogy Fits In
If you want to stay ahead of India’s data-driven marketing evolution, Digilogy helps brands:
- implement AI-led strategies with full compliance
- optimize for ethical data transparency
- build trust-based, results-driven digital campaigns
