AI Interviewer

Problem

In qualitative research, traditional data collection methods like interviews, focus groups, or observations are incredibly time-consuming, often requiring hundreds of hours from researchers. The logistical demands of conducting an interview alone are extensive; researchers must manage everything from preparing recording devices and finding a suitable venue to scheduling, greeting participants, taking notes, and transcribing conversations. While essential, these tasks can divert significant time and energy away from more critical aspects of the research, such as crafting effective questions or analyzing the data.

Opportunity

This project proposes using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) as an interviewer to streamline the data collection process. An AI interviewer offers key advantages: it can be available 24/7, allowing participants to complete interviews at their convenience without the need for coordinated scheduling. Additionally, the AI can instantly transcribe conversations, eliminating the need for researchers to take notes or manually transcribe recordings.

Questions

All these advantages make this approach highly promising. However, questions of this project remain to be: Can an AI interviewer collect data as effectively as a human? To what extent will human participants accept being interviewed by an AI? What precautions are necessary to ensure AI-led interviews are as ethical and safe as human-led ones? Through this project, we aim to find the answers to these questions.

Interested in experiencing an AI-facilitated interview? Click here to have a try!