AI-Moderated Research: A Simple Way to Build AI into Your Research Workflow

Enter AI-moderated research.

This isn’t just another tech trend. It’s a fundamental shift in how we approach qualitative research. NewtonX is bringing you a solution that combines the rich insights of qualitative interviews with the speed and scale of quantitative surveys. 

The best part? You’re not just checking the AI box. You’re leading with something worth bragging about. 

The challenge: Qualitative research bottlenecks

Traditional qualitative research can be cumbersome. Scheduling interviews, managing moderators, and analyzing transcripts are time-consuming and resource-intensive. You may wonder if there’s a more efficient way to conduct those interviews, especially when your audience does not include senior executives or highly technical experts requiring white glove moderation skills.

The solution: AI-moderated research—qualitative at scale

Imagine conducting dozens of in-depth interviews simultaneously without the logistical hassle. That’s the power of AI-moderated research. This approach automates the moderator’s role, allowing participants to self-guide through the interview process at their own pace. They respond to the client’s custom question set by recording audio or video answers, providing rich, nuanced data without the constraints of traditional methods. Of course, you can also blend in multiple-choice survey questions.

This workflow is highly cost-effective. Traditional qualitative research can cost upwards of $1,000 per interviewee. With the AI-moderated workflow, you can conduct interviews 70% faster and 60% more cost-efficiently than traditional qualitative research, making powerful research more accessible to businesses of all sizes. Another benefit? You can collect accurate data fast. If your CEO has a question on Monday, you can have the answer by Friday. 

Here’s the timeline for a typical AI-moderated research run:

How it works: Simple, secure, and scalable

1. You design the questions. Maintain complete control over the narrative by crafting targeted questions that address your research objectives.
2. Respondents are custom-recruited—the NewtonX signature promise to ensure your interviewees have the expertise they report. 
3. Respondents receive a unique invitation link. They can begin the study on their own time, so there is no need to schedule a live interview.
4. Each respondent will complete a screener to qualify for the study. This step further verifies their expertise. 
5. AI replaces the traditional human interviewer. Questions are presented to participants, prompting them to record their responses via video or audio. The AI moderator offers instructions for each question and probes deeper based on your discussion guide. 
6. Respondents are scored based on their response quality. Low-quality respondents are removed. Afterward, you can access transcripts from all respondents who passed these clear knowledge parameters.
7. Analysis and reporting are completed for you. Forget manual transcript and analysis. The AI engine automatically transcribes responses, performs sentiment analysis, identifies key themes, and generates a slide report with key insights. 

The respondent’s experience in an AI-moderated study 

Understandably, some researchers have concerns about the interviewees’ experience in an AI-moderated study. Will they be comfortable interacting with an AI moderator? Will the tool be intuitive and engaging? 

The solution is designed to provide a smooth and user-friendly experience, allowing participants to focus on sharing their insights without feeling intimidated or overwhelmed. The respondent will receive the questions in text, audio, or both and can respond in whichever form feels most comfortable. 

How AI-moderated research fits into your workflow

With AI-moderated interviews, you get the best of both worlds: depth and scale, speed and rigor. This methodology is ideal for reducing costs or increasing speed-to-insight, whether you’re rethinking your approach to qualitative or looking for a smarter way to conduct quantitative surveys and follow-up. 

Of course, the traditional approach may still be the best fit for your audience, particularly if your topic is highly technical or your audience’s seniority requires a white-glove approach and skillful human moderators. 
If you’d like to explore how AI can fit into your research workflow, book a meeting with us to learn more about AI-moderated research with NewtonX.