QualsTalks

E20: AI accidentally misrepresenting brand values

Excited to share a new QualsTalks episode — a casual (and slightly paranoid) chat on “AI accidentally misrepresenting brand values.” When an AI moderator’s tone, phrasing, or follow-ups drift even a little, the brand can start “sounding” like someone else — more preachy, more salesy, more corporate, more something. And in qualitative research, that subtle shift doesn’t just change the vibe… it changes the data. In the episode, we dig into how to guardrail it in practice: tone templates, persona settings, pilot transcripts, QA rubrics, and review loops — treating moderation like a designed system, not a default feature. If you’re scaling AI-moderated qual (or even just testing it), this one’s for you.

E19: The “Beer Test” for moderation quality

If the conversation doesn’t feel human and fluid, it’s not qual — it’s fancy surveying. We talk about why “native in language” isn’t the same as “native in culture,” and how AI (and humans) can miss meaning when slang isn’t just translation — it’s intent.

E18: Do participants know they’re talking to AI—and does it matter?

Do participants know they’re talking to AI — and does it matter? In this episode, we unpack the real tradeoff: transparency vs “natural conversation.” When does disclosure build trust, and when does it change behavior? We also get into the part people miss: why participants spare their time to answer strangers in the first place — and how a good “listener” (human or AI) earns real answers through tone, pacing, and reciprocity.

E17: The Self-Serve Revolution: “Internalising Research”

QualsTalks is out: The Self-Serve Revolution — internalising research. More teams are bringing research in-house. We talk about what that fixes, what it breaks, where agencies still matter—and why AI won’t replace researchers, but it will replace research busywork (manual tagging, repetitive synthesis).

E16: What Kind of Research Can You Do with AI?

A casual chat on where AI-moderated qual genuinely shines (concepts, comms, UX, churn, public opinion, health) — and where it doesn’t. “AI doesn’t replace moderators — it changes what’s possible when the design is right.”