TV REVisionists: Using AI To Gain Actual Human Insights—Megan Daniels Of MX8 Labs

Welcome to The Revisionists, a series where we speak with innovators reshaping some part of our TV ecosystem.

This week we look at the human AI relationship.

One of the most annoying things to me about Artificial Intelligence is that ideas in the public domain are now just as likely shaped by an algorithmic bot as they are directly from the mind, heart and soul of a human.

But what about instead of bringing us further away from real human thoughts and ideas, we could leverage AI in workflows to make understanding what actual humans think faster, easier, and more affordably than ever? Megan Daniels is a veteran researcher doing just that for MX8 Labs, the research platform she leads.

They work with networks to test audience preferences, movie studios, marketing platforms and power research for research firms, and more.

You may have noticed we’ve been using some of its research to see how people rank ad experiences in streaming and to discover insights around VOD viewing for movies.

We recently looked at one MX8 Labs study on streaming services which showed that 64% of viewers ranked Prime Video No. 1 for movies, while Hulu beats Netflix for network TV series, 48% vs. 40%. 

We looked at another that showed how Disney+ stands out for ad recall: Only 21% of Disney+ viewers cited the inability to remember what ads played because they weren’t paying attention. By comparison, that share was over a quarter for other streamers.  

These are the kinds of insights that used to be expensive and slow to get, suffocated in red tape and people arguing over how to ask the question. Now thanks in part to AI, there is a new option.

Here’s Megan for how it works and why she is doing this:

Jason Damata: What is MX8 Labs?

Megan Daniels: MX8 Labs is a quantitative research platform built end-to-end—from survey programming through high-level insights. It was designed so researchers can spend more time on what they love and less time bogged down by bottlenecks. We use automation and AI to speed up the process, reduce friction, and eliminate headaches. At its core, it’s the same quantitative research process you know, just without the pain points.

Jason Damata: You’ve been in research a long time. How did your background shape MX8 Labs?

Megan Daniels: I’ve been in research for more than 20 years, mostly on the agency side. I’ve done every role you can think of—from researcher to running large teams, to leading operations when things went wrong and deadlines were tight. Those experiences—and the recurring pain points I saw—led to MX8 Labs. Together with my co-founders Tom and Roger, we set out to build a platform that solved those problems.

Jason Damata: Who is MX8 Labs built for?

Megan Daniels: Any researcher can use it, but it’s especially powerful for lean insights teams who need to “do more with less.” Budgets are shrinking, timelines are tighter, and business moves fast. With MX8 Labs, you don’t need to worry about deadlines or sacrificing quality—you get high-quality data and results at the speed of business.

Jason Damata: We’ve used the platform ourselves at TVREV, and it felt really accessible—even for non-researchers. Is democratizing research part of the mission?

Megan Daniels: Absolutely. While it was built by researchers for researchers, it’s intuitive enough for non-researchers too. Marketers, brand strategists, or anyone who needs data to back decisions can use it. You can get a survey into the field and results back the same day, sometimes within hours, without being an expert.

Jason Damata: Walk us through how it works.

Megan Daniels: Traditionally, writing, programming, fielding, and analyzing a survey could take days or weeks. With MX8 Labs, you paste your survey questions from a Word or Google doc into the platform. In about five minutes, AI generates a fully programmed survey, a test link, QA tools, and even simulated reports with mock data.

From there, integrated sampling and field management kick in. Once fielding ends, AI weights the dataset, runs significance testing, generates cross-tabs, and produces insights instantly. It’s a zero-build environment, so you don’t need to know survey logic or use templates. Your insights are ready almost immediately.

Jason Damata: Can users target their own audiences—or even something hyper-specific, like Flint, Michigan residents’ views on water?

Megan Daniels: Yes. We’re sample agnostic. You can use our sample partners, bring in a panel, or upload your own customer lists and first-party data. And the platform isn’t “dumbed down”—you can run anything from a 10-question quick poll to a highly complex study with quotas and experimental designs. It’s simple to execute but powerful in scope.

Jason Damata: What kinds of studies are your clients running?

Megan Daniels: Recently we’ve seen fascinating projects on tariffs and their economic impact, sponsorship effectiveness in local markets, entertainment preferences like reactions to trailers, and B2B research targeting hard-to-reach audiences. The exciting part is how quickly clients are putting results into action—sometimes the same day. We’ve seen insights turned into LinkedIn posts, website content, or C-level briefings within hours of fielding. That’s the joy: credible, accurate data being used at the speed of business.

Jason Damata: Thanks for joining us on The TVREVisionists.

Megan Daniels: Thank you, Jason. Excited to see what we uncover together.