Human-AI Collaboration Can Be an Effective Tool in Qualitative Research

A new study has found human-moderated virtual focus groups yield more emotionally rich and contextually detailed responses compared to AI-assisted methods alone.

The findings were featured in “Enhancing Qualitative Inquiry: AI-Assisted Focus Group Data Collection” by Huan Chen, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Advertising Department chair and professor, University of Missouri-Kansas City Professor Ye Wang and Cheng Chang from the University of Southern California. The article was published in the Qualitative Research Journal on Aug. 19.

This study examined how an artificial intelligence (AI) summary of virtual focus group data, with and without human review, affected the quality of the data and the effectiveness of AI-assisted thematic analysis in qualitative research.

According to the authors, “AI-generated summaries with human oversight produced comparable thematic depth and coherence, suggesting the value of hybrid moderation. The findings support responsible human–AI collaboration, highlighting the strengths of AI in streamlining analysis while underscoring the irreplaceable interpretive role of human researchers in qualitative inquiry.”

Category: AI at CJC News, College News
Tagged: Advertising AI-Assisted Focus Groups Huan Chen Human-Ai Collaboration
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