Market research firm Circana hires Ode to bring AI into its work

Circana, a market research company, said on Oct. 29, 2026 that it has hired Ode, an AI company tied to Anthropic, to change how it produces and delivers its reports. The stated goal is faster, more flexible and more useful insights for Circana's clients.

What Circana says it will do

Circana sells data to makers of everyday packaged goods, makers of long-lasting products such as appliances, and retailers. Its leaders say the AI will remove manual steps from complex work and send unusual cases to human experts. Circana says the aim is to move faster and more consistently while keeping the quality and oversight clients expect.

Ode launched in 2026. Anthropic, Blackstone and Hellman & Friedman formed it, with investors including Apollo, General Atlantic, GIC, Goldman Sachs, Leonard Green and Sequoia. It pairs Anthropic's AI models with its own engineers. Circana traces its roots to IRI and The NPD Group.

What is not known yet

The announcement does not say which reports or products will change first, when clients will notice, or what the work costs. Circana says it will share results and case studies as the work grows. Until then, the speed and quality gains are claims, not measured outcomes.

Clients who buy Circana data may want to ask how much human review remains on AI-assisted work and how errors get caught.