To find out what customers think, this $2bn startup asks their AI twins

The business move

Simile, a startup developing “agentic twins” — AI replicas of real consumers — has raised $200 million, reaching a $2 billion valuation. The funding round was led by Greenoaks, with participation from Index Ventures and others. Simile’s platform allows companies to survey millions of AI-driven consumer stand-ins instead of relying solely on feedback from real people.

Why it matters

Simile’s approach challenges traditional market research by replacing real respondents with AI-generated profiles that simulate consumer opinions and behaviors. This can dramatically speed up feedback cycles and reduce costs for companies trying to understand customer preferences at scale. It also reshapes how data about consumer sentiment is generated, potentially compressing months of survey work into hours.

However, using “fake consumers” raises questions about accuracy and trust. AI twins are only as good as the data and models powering them, so firms will need rigorous validation to ensure insights reflect real-world preferences reliably. This technology could pressure market research vendors and in-house consumer research teams to adapt or risk obsolescence.

Who gains and who gets squeezed

Companies spending heavily on consumer insight stand to gain faster, cheaper access to large-scale intelligence that feeds product development, marketing, and strategy decisions. Investors backing AI’s expansion into market research profile Simile’s growth potential as the sector looks for efficiency gains.

Market researchers relying on traditional methods face pressure to innovate or consolidate as AI-driven models disrupt long-standing workflows. Consumers might lose influence over company decisions if AI twins become the primary input source, raising concerns about representativeness and bias in decision-making.

What to watch next

Watch how Simile’s AI twins perform in live commercial scenarios. Validation of their predictive reliability against real consumer behavior will define market confidence. Also observe if competitors adopt similar AI-led research models or if regulators step in to scrutinize the ethics and transparency of using synthetic consumer data.

Expansion into multiple industries could follow if Simile’s model proves scalable beyond initial pilot use cases. The technology’s evolution will test the balance between efficiency gains and the risk of eroding genuine consumer voice in market feedback.

AI Quick Briefs Editorial Desk