The Synthetic Data Mirage: Why LLM Survey Averages Lie to You
Synthetic data survey research is everywhere in 2026. AI-generated respondents promise instant scale, near-zero cost, and frictionless insights. And here is the terrifying part: they pass your first validation check with flying colors. That is the mirage. The same LLM-generated dataset that perfectly replicates your survey’s average score collapses the moment you examine variance, statistical…