ASC Labs, which launched in May 2023, presents a range of activities, events and items of special interest to our community of research and survey technology specialists throughout the year.
Our objective is clear: we aim to build a place where conversations, ideas, and knowledge about surveys, survey data and insights can flow freely in an informal setting.
ASC Labs is all about facilitating knowledge exchange, innovation, and collaboration from the bottom up. Whether online or in-person, we provide the space for you to share your expertise, connect with others, and generate ideas for future conferences.
Diversity is at the heart of our community. We encourage engagement from professionals of all backgrounds, fostering an environment where innovation thrives. ASC Labs is the place where we can come together to expand our networks, stay updated and shape the future of research methodologies.
There is no charge to participate in the majority of Labs events and activities.
DuckPipe: process sensitive client data with nothing but a browser and some SQL
ASC Labs’ Andrew Le Breuilly shares how to work with DuckDB to run browser based SQL, offline and securely
Synthetic Data: Reality Bites by Jon Puleston
Our industry has a long history of falling in love with the “next big thing.” From online research to big data, from social media listening to synthetic samples, each wave arrives with bold promises—often accompanied by a surge of optimism that reality struggles to match. This session explores how and why that gap emerges. Looking […]
Static Online Surveys vs AI-Moderated Interviews by Veronica Valli
Survey teams face increasing pressure to deliver deeper insights while maintaining methodological rigor, operational stability, and client trust. One potential shift is moving from static online surveys to AI-moderated interviews (AIMIs), sometimes called conversational surveys. The main question isn’t whether this approach is innovative, but whether it is reliable and operationally sound. AIMIs combine traditional […]
Research Rumble: Where Ideas Go Head-to-Head. John McConnell Vs. Andy Woods.
In this fast-paced tech duel, we explore the tools, trends and ideas set to shape the future of the insights industry. From emerging data stacks to AI-powered workflows, each round is a head-to-head pitch on what really matters next. The audience decides the winner after every round, so expect bold claims, sharp thinking and the […]
Getting Unstuck: Thriving When Change Feels Uncomfortable By Samantha Kiani
Discover how the human ability to embrace curiosity amid rapid change still drives industry progress, even in an age dominated by AI and intelligent tools. The future of this industry will not be decided by tools alone. It will be shaped by how people respond to change. Periods of rapid change rarely feel energising when […]
Competing on Decision Confidence by Paul Griffiths
Synopsis As the application of insight within organisations become faster, more data rich and more decentralised, insight is no longer confined to a single function or team. Instead, brands are evolving into continuous generators and users of insight; with value increasingly defined not by the production of research, but by the confidence it creates in […]
Turning Data Chaos into Managed Change by Phyllis Macfarlane
Synopsis How did they analyse 20,140 questionnaires for the first UK Readership Study in 1928 without computers? By hiring Chartered Accountants skilled in counting! Since then, market research has worked to bring order to the “chaos” of survey data, using advances in science and technology to improve efficiency—automating sampling and weighting, simplifying data collection (CATI, […]
Why Every Survey Professional Should Understand APIs, MCPs and AI
Every month, the Association for Survey Computing runs an informal lab session where survey professionals explore emerging technology and ask the questions they might not feel comfortable asking elsewhere. This month, ASC director Andrew Le Breuilly tackled three acronyms that have been cropping up everywhere: APIs, MCPs, and AI.This session build on our previous labs […]
Why There’s Never Been a Better Time to Learn to Code – AI coding tutorial
A write-up from the ASC Labs Coffee Morning February 2026 There’s a classic story about learning to program: you buy the big textbook, you sit down at your computer on a rainy Sunday, and by page three of Chapter One (“Setting Up Your Environment”) something doesn’t work. The version is wrong, the computer is different, […]
ASC Labs Meet-Up at Big Data London: Join Us for Two Days of Networking and Insight
We are thrilled to announce that ASC Labs will be hosting a special meet-up during the Big Data London conference at Kensington Olympia! As part of our ongoing mission to foster collaboration, innovation, and knowledge exchange in the research and survey technology community, we’re inviting you to join us for this exciting two-day event. Why […]