EuroSense 2026: From innovation to impact

Having attended the conference, we at Haystack Consulting came away with a strong sense that the discipline is at an important turning point. The conversation is evolving beyond the traditional boundaries of sensory evaluation and consumer research, with AI, new technologies, behavioural science, neuroscience, sustainability and real-world consumer contexts increasingly shaping the field. But for us, one message stood out above all others:

TheE future of sensory and consumer science is not about technology replacing expertise. It is about using technology to make our expertise more valuable.

AI: from “Can we?” to “Should we?”

AI was, unsurprisingly, one of the most prominent topics at EuroSense. We saw exciting examples of AI-supported modelling, synthetic data, automated workflows and new ways of combining data and expertise. But we also saw something equally important: critical thinking about where AI genuinely adds value.

The question is no longer simply “Can AI do this?” It is becoming: “Where can AI improve the quality, speed or scale of our work, and where does human sensory and consumer expertise remain indispensable?”

For us, this is an important distinction. AI can process vast amounts of information, identify patterns and support increasingly sophisticated analyses. But the quality of the outcome will always depend on the quality of the question, the data and the research design behind it. Technology does not remove the need for good experimental design, robust methodology or scientific judgement. If anything, it makes these things more important.

What does this mean for us at Haystack Consulting ?

Our key take away from Oslo is that the future isn't about choosing between human expertise and technology, laboratory control and real-world context, or scientific rigour and consumer understanding. It is about knowing when and how to combine them. We see 3 principles emerging from the conference:

1. Use AI where it creates genuine value.
Not because it is new, but because it improves the research or the decision.

2. Never compromise on data and methodology.
Sophisticated tools cannot compensate for weak research design or poor-quality data.

3. Keep human expertise at the centre.
Technology can augmentour capabilities, but interpretation, curiosity, critical thinking and understanding consumers remain fundamentally human strengths.

The real opportunity for sensory and consumer science is not simply to generate more data or adopt more sophisticated tools. It is to turn better evidence into better decisions, better products and, ultimately, better outcomes for consumers and society. And that is the kind of impact we believe is worth pursuing.