How we work

Research Methodology

Useful AI research starts with a real decision. The Institute brings together executive experience, survey findings and analysis to examine how organizations put AI to work. Our focus is the use case, the conditions around it and the evidence that makes a finding useful.

Start with the use case

We frame the question around a workflow, the people responsible for it and the result they need. That context shapes the investigation: which data matters, what a system is allowed to do, how success is measured and where human judgment remains essential. Healthcare & Life Sciences and Financial Services are our initial industry priorities.

See our industry focus

Bring enterprise experience into the conversation

Leaders in AI Think Tanks bring enterprise leaders together to compare approaches, examine constraints and challenge assumptions. We synthesize those perspectives into shared themes and research questions. Individual research contributions are anonymized; no single executive is presented as the author of a vendor assessment.

See Leaders in AI Think Tanks

Examine the evidence

Surveys reveal the priorities of a defined group. Interviews and discussions add context to those findings. Product documentation helps frame an evaluation, while measured results establish how a particular approach performed. We use each source for the questions it can help answer.

Browse research

Connect findings to a decision

Reports and evaluation frameworks help readers assess a use case, investigate a platform or define the next test. We look at the conditions behind an outcome, including data readiness, integration, human review and the cost of completed work, so that readers can judge its relevance to their organization.

Browse Quadrants

Sources and research notes

Research notes accompany the work they explain: the source material, sample, collection period and limits of a finding. Historical studies retain their dates. Draft frameworks and illustrative examples are identified where they appear.

Institute Quadrants assess vendors within a defined market using the criteria, weights and evidence described in each study. The companion buyer’s guide explains the assessment, provider findings and research limitations. Positions reflect that edition and should be considered alongside your organization’s requirements.

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How to read Institute research

The format tells you what the publication is for.

Institute Quadrants and buyer’s guides

A Quadrant compares offerings within a defined market. Its companion buyer’s guide explains the assessment criteria, evidence, provider findings and buying questions. Read scores with the product scope and publication date. A vendor count describes market coverage, not a survey sample.

Frameworks and explainers

A framework helps a team structure an evaluation or decision. An explainer develops a concept or calculation. A draft label identifies a working publication and does not describe every report in the library.

The Briefing

Source analysis separates what an external publication establishes from the Institute’s interpretation or calculations. Read the source date and limitations alongside the conclusion.

Questions and corrections

To flag a factual error, include the page or report title, the passage, the proposed correction and a supporting source. For a question about an assessment, identify the offering and the criterion you want to discuss.

Send a research question or correction