Debra Aho Williamson is the Founder and Chief Analyst of Sonata Insights, a consultancy that provides research, advisory services and thought leadership on consumer and marketer use of artificial intelligence (AI).

She brings more than 20 years of experience analyzing the evolving media landscape, focusing on how emerging technologies, including AI and social media, reshape consumer behavior, media consumption and marketing strategies. Her research and advising topics include consumer AI usage, AI search (AEO/GEO), AI marketing, AI advertising and AI agents, and the list of AI platforms and companies she researches includes OpenAI (ChatGPT), Google (AI Overviews, Gemini), Perplexity, Meta AI, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Microsoft Copilot and Amazon Rufus.

Before founding Sonata Insights in 2024, Debra served as an analyst at EMARKETER, a digital marketing research firm, where she advised major brands, agencies and media companies on trends in digital advertising, social media marketing and influencer marketing/creators. Her areas of expertise at EMARKETER included social media advertising, consumer social media usage, time spent with social media and social media marketing. She has deep research background on Meta, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest and other social media companies.

Debra's analytical superpower is her ability to spot changes in consumer behavior that lead to significant shifts in marketing strategies. She was one of the first analysts in the world to pinpoint the importance of social media, and she published her inaugural research on the topic in 2006. Debra developed one of the earliest forecasts for social network advertising revenues, and her landmark research—amounting to more than 120 reports as an EMARKETER analyst—enabled the advertising industry to see the power and potential of social media and helped make platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok integral to the marketing mix.

Debra is a sought-after speaker and commentator on the future of media and advertising, with a focus on AI's impact on marketing and consumer experiences. Over her career, she has spoken at industry events including Association of National Advertisers (ANA) Influencer Marketing conference, VidCon and Shoptalk. Debra regularly appears on business TV (Bloomberg, BBC, NBC) and her viewpoints have appeared in major media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Reuters, Associated Press, Financial Times and Investor’s Business Daily.

Earlier in her career, Debra served as the founding executive editor at groundbreaking internet industry publication The Industry Standard and as interactive media and marketing editor at AdAge magazine.

Debra graduated from Northwestern University with dual degrees in English literature and oboe performance. She is based in Seattle, and when she’s not writing or speaking, she loves cheering for the Seahawks, trying new restaurants and hiking in the Cascades. Although Debra no longer plays the oboe, she has a profound (some would say weird) obsession with learning to play the bagpipes, and she hopes to one day become good enough to join a piping band.