Transforming Market Research with AI in Emerging Markets: An Interview with Dharmendra Jain of Actnable AI

In this free episode of Talking AI, host Ray Poynter sits down with Dharmendra Jain, Founder & CEO of Actnable AI (Nairobi, Kenya), to uncover how AI-driven solutions are revolutionizing market research across emerging markets. Drawing on nearly two decades of experience spanning India and Africa in market research, operations, data, and technology, Jain explains Actnable’s all-in-one SaaS platform—featuring:

• Multilingual language solutions: translation in 132 languages and transcription in over 60
• End-to-end qualitative research: recruitment (online/offline), FGD moderation, transcription & AI analytics
• Cloud-based creative testing: automated emotional expression and topic-modeling analytics
• Chatbot Data Insights: real-time survey data upload for early-trend visualization
• Conversational AI surveys: telephonic interviews in local languages, accents, and personas

They discuss the excitement—and confusion—surrounding AI adoption in Africa’s mobile-first landscape, the gap between hype and practical usage, and real-world use cases from fast-tracking innovation cycles to serving low-resource languages. Jain shares actionable advice for clients and agencies under pressure to integrate AI, as well as tips for new researchers on balancing human curiosity with emerging technologies.