On 3 June, I attended the KIMRA Conference and came away with plenty to think about.
KIMRA is quickly becoming a key gathering for corporate intelligence and knowledge professionals in the UK, and is gaining global relevance too.
What struck me most was how much the AI conversation has moved on. A year or two ago, many discussions focused on what AI might be able to do. This year, the conversation was much more practical. Most organisations now have active AI programmes in place and are focused on understanding how these technologies can strengthen market intelligence, knowledge management, and thought leadership.
One of my main takeaways was that organisations still see significant value in strong intelligence and knowledge functions, but expectations are changing. The focus is shifting away from simply producing updates and newsletters and towards helping people across the business find, understand, and use information more effectively.
Many organisations are also exploring how to combine their internal knowledge with trusted external data sources through private LLMs. This is something we are actively involved with at The Business Research Company, helping clients make use of extensive market valuation and forecast data within their own intelligence environments.
The conversations at KIMRA reinforced another important point. The greatest value of intelligence teams increasingly comes from helping shape client discussions, support business decisions, and turn information into meaningful action.
Thank you to the organisers, speakers, and attendees for a thoughtful and engaging event. It was great to hear how organisations are approaching similar challenges and opportunities as AI continues to reshape the way we work.
