AI in Qualitative Research

In this podcasts, the hosts, Lisa and Tom, talk about the highlights of the recent webinar conducted by Dr. Susanne Friese. Many researchers are experimenting with AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or NotebookLM. The results can be impressive, but also raise important questions: Can AI be trusted with qualitative data? What happens to confidential material? How do we deal with hallucinatio...

A simple car-wash prompt reveals why AI can sound helpful while missing the actual goal. In this episode, we explore what this means for AI literacy, context, and qualitative research — and why QInsights is designed to keep researchers actively involved in the analysis instead of leaving interpretation to the AI alone.

Tom and Lisa discuss my response to a call for chapters on "AI-free research", a new Routledge volume championing slow, handmade scholarship against the fast-food promises of AI-driven analysis. The resistance is understandable—AI promises fast-food solutions to problems that demand slow, careful thought. But rejecting AI entirely isn't the answer. Listen to the podcast to find out....

In this episode, Lisa and Tom take on a series of objections and concerns that Dr. Susanne Friese has heard repeatedly over the past month in conversations with researchers. Can I trust a tool if I don’t know what it was trained on? If there are no citations, is it plagiarism? If a colleague arrives at a different result, we can talk it through. But with an AI assistant, I cannot do this. And if I...

In this episode, Lisa and Tom discuss the article: Conversational Analysis with AI - CA to the Power of AI: Rethinking Coding in Qualitative Analysis written by Dr Susanne Friese, pre-print April 27, 2025. If you are curious to try out QInsights, to see how you can put the method into action, you can register for a free account here

Is coding still essential in qualitative research—or can generative AI offer a smarter way forward? In this episode, Dr. Susanne Friese takes you on a journey through the history of coding, its role in managing complexity, and how today's AI tools might free us from mechanical tasks without sacrificing depth or rigor. Learn how dialogic analysis with AI transforms our interaction with data—and...

Join us for a special live edition of the AI-in-Qualitative-Research podcast, where René van der Valk and I reflect on a transformative year in qualitative research and AI. Set against a cozy fireside backdrop with a Scottish twist with a touch of whiskey (watch to the end), we explore my learnings, and key takeaways from 2024. 🎙️❄️ Links: Podcast Episode with Christin Silver Our own AI-Powered Ap...

This podcast is based an article - yet to be published on the QualAI blog of the CAQDAS networking project. The title of the blog will be: " Embracing the Paradigm Shift: Moving Beyond Coding in Qualitative Research". Listen what Lisa and Tom have to say about it.

Curious about how to ethically leverage AI in qualitative research? This episode dives into the questions asked by researchers during a recent webinar on this critical topic. Dr. Susanne Friese answered all questions, and our AI hosts, Lisa and Tom, unpack these responses with their own unique perspectives. 💡 The following questions are explored: Are journals able to detect if a section of a manu...

In this episode, our AI hosts dive into a heated email exchange that unfolded after the announcement of QInsights, our AI-powered app for qualitative analysis. The debate, spanning the equivalent of 25 printed pages, is a textbook example of Thomas Kuhn's concept of a paradigm shift in action. Intrigued? Hit play and join the conversation!

This episode is based on a conversation between Sidi Lemine, CEO of  Jade Kite , and Dr Susanne Friese, written up by Sidi with the title "T he Great Unlearning: making the most of the AI paradigm shift " and published on LinkedIn (Episode AI Art from the original article by Sidi Lemine)

oin hosts Lisa and Tom as they delve into Dr. Susanne Friese’s thought-provoking blog on the potential for bias in AI systems used for qualitative research. In this episode, they explore Friese’s perspective on how AI, despite its impressive capabilities, is influenced by the biases embedded in the data it learns from, including human-created sources like scientific literature. Lisa and Tom discus...

In this episode, we challenge the notion of AI as a one-click solution for automating qualitative analysis, and instead, advocate for its use as an interactive, collaborative tool. Before diving into how this can be achieved, we first address a key but often overlooked limitation of current AI tools—the context window limitations. Despite being a critical factor, many users are unaware of how thes...

This episode is based on a book chapter written by Dr Susanne Friese, which will be published in early 2025 in: Christou A. Prokopis (Ed.)  Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Social Research , chapter 5. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.  This manuscript investigates the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on qualitative data analysis, particularly through the lens of Thomas Kuhn’s the...

In this episode Lisa and Tom discuss the ethical implications of using AI in qualitative research, focusing on data privacy and confidentiality. You learn about general ethical standards for research, particularly highlighting the importance of legal compliance, informed consent, data protection, and the principle of non-harm. We then take a look at anonymization and pseudonymisation and how teese...

In this episode, AI hosts Lisa and Tom tackle the bold claims flooding the internet: "Use AI tool XY for qualitative analysis, and you'll get instant, comprehensive insights without lifting a finger." The promise of effortless analysis sounds enticing, but is it really that simple? Have AI tools genuinely advanced to the point where they can outperform and replace seasoned qualitativ...

In this episode we provide a detailed exploration of the Qualia platform, an AI-powered interview tool. Lisa and Tom will be discussing the platform’s features and report on the first-hand experience of Dr Susanne Friese with the platform, including a test run with a think tank workshop. Conversing with AI: My encounter with an Interview Bot We take a look at the potential benefits and drawbacks o...

In this episode, Lisa and Tom address the concerns and skepticism surrounding the use of AI in qualitative data analysis, specifically focusing on data privacy and security based on the following blog post: Beyond the Comfort Zone: The Dynamics of Technological Acceptance You learn for instance about the process of data transmission and processing within LLMs, using clear analogies to illustrate t...

In this episode, Lisa and Tom, your AI hosts, explore the evolving role of generative AI in qualitative data analysis based on a blog written by Dr. Susanne Friese. While AI tools can assist with tasks like summarizing data, Susanne argues that they are not yet capable of replacing the nuanced work of human coding and analysis. Lisa and Tom expand on this, engaging in a lively debate about AI’s li...

This episode explores the evolution of qualitative research methods, tracing a path from early manual methods to the integration of artificial intelligence (AI). It begins by describing the challenges and opportunities of using tape recorders for data collection and the subsequent shift to computer-assisted qualitative data analysis (CAQDAS) software. Lisa and Tom then discuss the emergence of gen...

In this podcast, the two AI-hosts Lisa and Tom talk about my blog " ⁠Sometimes you need a little bit of data and lots of right brain⁠ ". In this blog I argue that market researchers often prioritises collecting large amounts of qualitative data over analysing it effectively. I advocate for a deeper approach to qualitative analysis based on using the right brain's creative and analyti...