AI-Moderated Interviews: First Impressions From an Expert Network

Aug 7

Request

Multiple agency clients ranging from boutique insights teams to large, global research firms have approached Zintro in recent months with projects that included AI-moderated interviews instead of human-moderated interviews. Each agency wanted to conduct research like they would normally with the only difference being the AI-driven moderation. They all had their preferred vendors or vendors they were piloting, including Listen Labs, Outset.ai, Bolt Insight, Conveo, GenWay, Maze, and HeyMarvin, and asked Zintro to recruit specialized participants across diverse categories such as: IT decision makers, Tech-savvy consumers, Sales professionals, Content creators, and other knowledge-rich respondent types.

Each agency built out their own interview frameworks within their respective AI platforms and relied on Zintro to deliver the right participants and make the participant experience from end to end.

Solution

Zintro coordinated participant recruitment across all requested audiences using a mix of in-network experts and custom recruitment. For each study, Zintro:

Delivered qualified respondents tailored to client criteria
Managed participant onboarding and scheduling
Ensured each participant understood the asynchronous format and platform expectations
Handled all incentive processing and support logistics

After interviews were completed, agency clients received recordings, AI-generated insights, transcripts, and analytical outputs directly from their chosen platforms. Zintro then closed the loop with a post-interview survey, gathering detailed feedback on how participants perceived the AI moderation experience.

Results

Feedback from 50 individuals surveyed offered a nuanced look at the future of AI in research. While a whopping 82% said they preferred the AI-moderated experience over live interviews, the data revealed both bright spots and watchouts for adoption at scale:

What they liked:

“Fun,” “stress-free,” “cool”: Many participants found the experience more enjoyable and less formal than interviews
Asynchronous = flexible: Respondents valued the ability to complete interviews on their own time
No human pressure: Several liked not needing to “read” a moderator’s tone or intent
Straight to the point: Skipping small talk and pleasantries was considered a plus

What gave them pause:

Some platforms had bugs, awkward pauses, and repetitive prompts
Multiple respondents mentioned they appreciate the value and expertise an expertenced human moderator or expert brings to the converstion
One participant described the experience as “just another part of life being replaced by robots” a reminder that not everyone is ready to say goodbye to real conversations
Eight individuals had done multiple AI-moderated sessions prior to the Zintro project and each made it clear that some platforms have much more mature technology than others.