Introducing agentic research
Market research is moving beyond the era of simple automation into the age of intelligence orchestration. While the last few years were defined by the first wave of AI-driven workflows, we’re now entering the phase of agentic market research; a place where AI agents have the capability to execute complex, end-to-end tasks that redefine how research is conducted.
The hallmark of agentic research is its ability to dissolve the historical trade-off between volume and nuance. By applying the scale of quantitative methodologies to the richness of qualitative insights, the industry is now seeking to predict human behaviour in real-time, address quality obstacles with new ways of verifying respondents, and scale high-fidelity insights.
What is agentic/conversational research?
Agentic research relies on the use of autonomous AI “agents” capable of orchestrating end-to-end research workflows.
Unlike traditional automation, which follows rigid, pre-defined rules, agentic research systems use sophisticated AI to independently manage complex tasks. These include survey design, real-time data validation, and multi-layered synthesis, all conducted with minimal human intervention.
Conversational research is an application of agentic research technologies typically realized through the use of AI-moderated interviews (AIMI). Interviews of this kind represent a hybrid research methodology that combines the depth of qualitative research with the scale of quantitative surveys.
In this format, a human moderator is replaced by an autonomous AI agent that monitors respondents’ answers in real-time and is able to ask probing questions via text, audio, or video to gain rich insights.
How and why are AIMIs used?
Founders, leaders, and researchers increasingly want to uncover the ‘who’ and ‘why’ behind their data. With consumer needs shifting faster than ever, gaining a deeper understanding of what drives them means that reaching the right, real people is critical.
AIMI studies provide a simple and seamless means of providing people who need qualified respondents to answer surveys in video, audio, and text formats at the speed and scale of quantitative research, allowing them to build intelligent insights and make business decisions with confidence.
AIMI studies provide a simple and seamless means of providing people who need qualified respondents to answer surveys in video, audio, and text formats.
These studies tend to take one of two forms.
- The first are studies that feature voice and/or video AI agents conducting real-time, in-depth interviews with reliable respondents.
- The second are studies where an AI agent is deployed to conduct text-based real time, in-depth interviews with similarly reliable respondents.
In either case, the intention remains the same: connecting with real people to get hundreds of responses in a few days.
AIMIs have multiple use cases. These include:
- Providing customers with the ability to conduct adaptive, qualitative and quantitative studies at the scale and speed of traditional quantitative studies.
- The means to provide richer materials like video reels and testimonials forkey decision-makers
- Building large-scale behavioural data models to probe for answers to critical questions, train and validate existing models, or build conversational insights.
AIMI studies are particularly useful for anyone looking to understand voter preferences, enrich brand trackers to understand customer perceptions, validate product concepts, run multi-lingual studies and more.
Why do AIMIs need scale?
With consumer needs shifting faster than ever, gaining a deeper understanding of what drives them means that reaching the right, real people is critical. With that in mind, it isn’t surprising that more and more people want qualitative data at the scale traditionally afforded by quantitative approaches to research.
AIMIs allow for building large-scale behavioural data models to probe for answers to critical questions, train and validate existing models, or build conversational insights. If you need to uncover the ‘who’ and ‘why’ behind large data sets, AIMIs can be beneficial.
AIMIs allow for building large-scale behavioural data models to probe for answers to critical questions
The Cint Exchange is the world’s largest network of verified human survey respondents. Cint is directly integrated with over 800 supply partners, representing over 4500 panels, making it easy to programmatically connect with the right people, anywhere in the world.
That span of coverage ensures that founders, leaders, and researchers alike can connect with the respondents they need to deliver projects successfully.
From niche B2B professionals to broad B2C segments, we provide the reliable scale you need to deliver every project on time.
Why is data quality important for AIMIs?
In any kind of market research study, data quality is of the utmost importance. Even when AI agents are deployed, we know that anyone conducting research wants to confidently source insights from real people.
Our advanced technology tackles poor quality throughout the entire sample workflow before a respondent enters any survey conducted through the Cint Exchange.
At Cint, we have a dedicated Trust and Safety team who are laser-focused on adapting to the ever-evolving research landscape that ensures buyers who work with us receive the highest quality survey responses possible.
Put simply, we put security and quality first to provide researchers with data they can trust.
Why is speed so important for AIMIs?
In modern market research, speed is of the essence. As businesses continue to adapt in real-time to an ever-changing world, market research can play an increasingly important role in driving innovation, and informed decision-making.
When the stakes are high, you need answers as soon as possible.
Cint’s AIMI solutions — facilitated through the Cint Exchange — speed up the process of receiving your insights; start receiving your first responses within minutes and scale up to hundreds of data points in just a few days. Working with us also means receiving near-real-time data, so you can skip the wait for your project to finish fielding before accessing insights.
Get in touch today
Ready to start scaling conversational insights and having access to data that gives your organization the data it needs to move faster and make confident business decisions?
