Is it time to fire the qual team? The role of AI in qualitative moderation – a head-to-head case study

Clever Kevin is MDI’s AI-driven qualitative moderator who strives to take advantage of AI’s benefits – streamlining often cost-prohibitive and time-consuming research tasks. Clever Kevin aims to make qualitative research more workable for a broader range of projects, bringing rich insights into more business decisions.

To refine Clever Kevin’s skills and explore how he can best complement the existing qualitative team, MDI conducted a head-to-head case study exploring the topic of sustainability in the fast-food industry, with n=20 mobile chat interviews conducted and analyzed by (human qualitative researcher) Hellen Sillis, global head of MDI’s qualitative offer, and n=20 interviews by Clever Kevin. Results revealed the strengths and weaknesses of the AI offer, giving insights into the position that AI tools can and should hold in the qualitative market research space.

This case study provides valuable insights into the tasks that AI-based moderation is likely to excel at and assist in refining the qualitative offer overall. More than anything, Clever Kevin strives to align with MDI’s fundamental research proposition: that research should feel natural and be convenient and accessible – encouraging participants to provide robust feedback in the moment.

Key takeaways:

AI moderation delivers key benefits for qualitative research and cannot be overlooked.
Human moderators retain a pivotal place, particularly in more sophisticated engagements.
Cost efficiencies and scalability from AI will likely drive up qualitative utilization and bring more qualitative insights into business decision-making.