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 hallucinations? And how can we make sure that analysis remains grounded in the actual data?
You will learn more about common concerns around hallucination, traceability, and the limitations of general-purpose AI tools, but also how AI can support qualitative data analysis in a responsible and methodologically sound way.
With this background, you will better understand why Susanne was motivated to built QInsights, designed specifically for qualitative analysis: not as a one-click replacement for the researcher, but as an AI-supported workspace where findings remain linked to the source material and the researcher stays in control.

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. I've added clarifications when Tom and Lisa miss the mark—a reminder of what happens when we leave AI unsupervised.
Based on: https://qeludra.com/blog/fast-food-vs-slow-science-traveling-at-the-speed-of-our-souls-with-ai

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 have to check everything anyway, what’s the point?
These are just some of the questions Lisa and Tom explore in this wide-ranging conversation about the place of generative AI in qualitative research.
If you’ve ever felt hesitant, skeptical, or just plain curious about AI’s role in your research process—this episode is for you.

Useful links:
Informed Consent with AI
Template (German): Vertraulichkeitserklärung mit KI Nutzung
Template (English): Informed Consent when AI tools are used

Privacy and Security Fact Sheets for QInsights
Data Protection and Data Security at QInsights
QInsights: Privacy and Securitiy Fact Sheet
 
Geman
Datenschutzbezogene Angaben zur Nutzung von QInsights
QInsights: Steckbrief zum Datenschutz

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