Instead of replacing conventional research, synthetic audience tools can help teams explore a market before committing to a full study. The ICC/ESOMAR International Code on Market, Opinion and Social Research and Data Analytics emphasizes transparency about the use of AI, synthetic data, synthetic personas, methodology, limitations, and human oversight. A Complement to Real Customer ResearchThe most productive question is not whether synthetic audiences will replace traditional market research. Synthetic audience platforms reduce some of those barriers by turning audience exploration into a self-service activity. As these tools mature, the competitive advantage may not come from having access to synthetic audiences alone.