Interview Agent is a powerful AI moderator available in the Discuss platform. It can be accessed and used from the Self-Paced Feedback (Self-Captures) page, and new activities that include both AI-led video or audio tasks can be created. These tasks allow researchers to gather qualitative insights through natural, real-time conversations moderated by AI.
Access and Availability
Access to the Interview Agent is currently available to organizations who:
- Are on a ConsumerReach or ConsumerReach+ subscription, or
- Have added the Interview Agent to their subscription
If your organization has not yet added Interview Agent to your subscription, please reach out to your Customer Success Manager for more information.
Writing a Clear and Effective Activity Goal
Why it matters: The Activity Goal tells the AI the purpose and scope of your research activity. This keeps it focused and prevents irrelevant follow-ups.
Best practices:
- State the research topic clearly: Use explicit product, brand, feature, or behavior.
- Include the research purpose: Clarify the insight you’re seeking.
- Define scope and boundaries: Add constraints or exclusions to prevent tangents.
- Use plain language: Keep it clear and direct. If you have a short summary, aim for 1–2 sentences. If you already have a project brief, you can paste a few paragraphs, but make sure the key topic and purpose appear at the very top so the AI immediately knows the focus.
- Write for both humans and AI: Clear, precise, and easy to understand.
Formula: Action Verb + Research Focus + Purpose + (Optional Scope)
Short Example:
"Explore how customers discover new meal delivery services and what factors influence their first purchase decision, excluding price-based considerations."
Sample Goals by Research Type:
- Concept Testing: “Evaluate how target customers perceive the appeal and clarity of our new product concept for a portable air purifier.”
- Usability: “Identify areas of confusion in the mobile app’s onboarding process for first-time users.”
- Brand Perception: “Understand how Gen Z consumers view Brand X’s sustainability efforts and whether these efforts influence purchase intent.”
- Customer Journey Mapping: “Explore the steps small business owners take from initial awareness to purchase when choosing accounting software.”
- Ad or Message Testing: “Gather reactions to the tone, clarity, and persuasiveness of the new social media campaign targeting college students.”
Longer Example:
We are conducting a study to understand the perceptions, motivations, and concerns of frequent air travelers regarding eco-friendly airline initiatives. Our focus is on travelers who fly at least once a month for business or leisure. The research will explore awareness of current airline sustainability programs, perceived credibility of these programs, and whether these efforts influence booking decisions. We will also investigate which communication channels and messages are most effective in promoting sustainable travel behavior. Insights from this study will guide the development of targeted marketing campaigns and potential program improvements.
Creating and Customizing Activities with AI-led Tasks
To create an AI-led activity, users begin on the Self-Captures page and select Create New Activity.
Each activity includes a Goal field, where researchers can provide background on the study. This information is shared with the AI and helps align follow-up questions to the study’s objectives. Researchers can also choose from over 50 supported languages for their interviews.
Researchers can also add a Welcome Message. This will be displayed to the respondents as text before they launch the AI-led conversation.
The AI-led Audio Only or Audio and Video task is selected by default for eligible users. Researchers can chain together multiple AI tasks to form a seamless conversational experience, or they can mix in other task types, such as ranking or multiple choice.
Task questions are written by the researcher, and follow-ups are generated automatically by the AI. These follow-ups are based on the respondent’s latest answer, as well as the overall context of the conversation.
Users can configure their activity using the existing Activity Settings. However, activities with AI-led tasks must be displayed as Single Tasks.
Note: There is no preview mode at this time, but users can simulate the experience using a test project. A built-in preview is currently in development.
Duplicating a Task
Researchers can now duplicate an existing task directly in the Activity Builder. This makes it easier to reuse task structure, questions, and other task content without rebuilding the task manually.
To duplicate a task:
- In the Activity Builder, find the task you want to reuse
- Click the Copy icon next to that task
- A new duplicated task will be created with the same content and settings as the original
Notes:
- The Copy button appears next to the Delete icon for each task
- If the duplicated task is part of an AI-led interview, the new task stays in the same AI-led container
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If the duplicated task is a different task type, the copied version is created as a separate, standalone task
Steps to create and customize an AI-led Activity
- Navigate to the Self-Captures page from the main menu.
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Click Create New Activity to start a new self-paced session.
- Provide an Activity Name that clearly identifies your project.
- Add a brief but informative Goal statement to help the AI understand the purpose of your study.
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Choose the language your respondents will speak.
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Ensure AI-Led Audio is selected as the task type.
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Choose whether you want Audio Only, Audio and Video, or respondent computer screen share and audio
- Within the new activity, select the task editor to begin adding questions.
- For each AI-led audio task, write your task question using clear, open-ended language.
- Add additional AI-led tasks as needed to guide the full interview.
- Optionally add other task types (e.g., ranking, multiple choice) to collect additional feedback.
- Review the task flow to ensure a logical, conversational progression.
- Save the activity and distribute it via the options on the Launch page.
Adding a Custom Conversation Introduction
Researchers can also create a Custom Introduction Message for their AI-Led Task blocks. This lets you introduce the topic or context of the conversation in your own words before the Interview Agent begins asking questions.
To add an introduction, enter your text in the Intro Message field in the AI-Led Task block. The Interview Agent will read this message aloud (and display it on screen) at the start of the first AI-Led Task. After a brief one-second pause, the conversation will move automatically into the first question.
Notes:
The intro message is only spoken once per session, even if the respondent restarts.
Intro messages are limited to 500 characters.
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Respondents are not expected to respond to this message; it serves purely as a conversational opener.
Default (AI generates):
Custom Intro:
Adding a Custom Exit Message to Your Activity
Researchers can now add a custom Exit Message to an activity. This message is shown at the end of the respondent experience after all tasks are completed.
To add an Exit Message:
- Open the Activity Builder.
- Scroll to the bottom of the page.
- Enter your message in the Exit Message field.
Notes:
- The field includes a default message: “Thank you for participating in this research activity!”
- Exit Messages support up to 800 characters
- The Exit Message is not shown if the activity ends with a redirect
- In Interview Agent activities, this message appears on the final exit page seen by the respondent
Customize Follow-Up Question Instructions and Depth
Researchers can customize how the Interview Agent asks follow-up questions. They can enter the specific guidance they want the AI to follow and choose how many follow-up questions the agent should ask.
- Customize Follow-Up Question Instructions:
Researchers can provide written guidance that shapes how the AI-Interviewer probes further. This field can be used to direct the agent to explore pain points, clarify motivations, or go deeper into any response.
After the respondent answers the main task question, the Interview Agent uses these instructions to shape its follow-up questions. The goal of these follow-ups is to align with the objectives or instructions provided by the researcher.
Customize Follow-Up Depth
Researchers can control how many follow-up questions the Interview Agent will ask during each AI-Led Task. This setting helps balance conversational depth with overall session length.
Settings include:
None: Only the main task question is asked.
1–3 (default): Typical follow-up depth, suitable for most interviews.
4–6: Enables a more exploratory discussion.
6+ (up to 12): Allows for extensive probing for deeply qualitative insights.
The Interview Agent dynamically determines how many follow-ups to ask within the range you specify, adjusting based on respondent engagement and answer quality.
Note: A built-in preview mode is not available yet. A preview feature is upcoming.
Customize the Moderator Voice
Researchers can now choose which voice the Interview Agent will use during their AI-Led Audio or Video tasks. This setting allows you to tailor the tone and personality of the moderator to better match your study’s style or audience.
When setting up an AI-Led Task, select the Moderator Voice option in the task settings. You’ll see several available voices, each with a short name and a preview button. Use the preview to hear a short sample before making your selection.
If you prefer not to use a voice at all, you can turn it off so the Interview Agent displays text only during the conversation.
Adding Stimulus to AI-Led Tasks
Researchers can now add stimulus (stim) to AI-led audio and Video Tasks. This allows respondents to view an image or video before answering the AI’s follow-up questions, creating richer and more context-driven feedback. You can also add a Stimulus Intro to give respondents context before they view the image or video. This is useful when you want to tell respondents what to look for, what to pay attention to, or how to evaluate the stimulus before answering questions.
- The Stimulus Intro is shown before the stimulus is displayed.
- In Interview Agent activities, the AI moderator can use this introduction to frame the task before continuing.
- If AI Translation is enabled, the Stimulus Intro is translated along with the rest of the respondent-facing task content.
When creating an AI-Led Task, upload your stimulus file directly to the task builder. Supported formats include:
Images: JPEG, PNG, GIF
Videos: MP4, MOV, WEBM
Multi-page documents (such as PDFs or PowerPoint slides) are not supported as stimuli for AI-Led Tasks.
Randomized Task Order
Researchers can randomize the order of tasks in an Interview Agent activity using Activity Settings. This helps reduce order bias and gives teams more control over how respondents experience a study.
There are two separate randomization settings:
- Task Order randomizes the order of standard tasks in the activity
- AI-Led Task Order randomizes the order of tasks inside AI-led conversation blocks only
Notes:
- These settings are configured in Activity Settings
- AI-led activities can include both AI-led and non-AI task types, so these controls help manage each flow separately
Using Multiple Choice Tasks in an AI-led Activity
Researchers can add Single Select and Multi-Select questions to an AI-led Interview Agent activity. This allows respondents to complete certain closed-ended questions without leaving the AI-led flow.
When a respondent reaches one of these tasks:
- The Interview Agent reads the question aloud.
- The answer options are displayed on screen.
- The moderator prompts the respondent to select from the available responses.
- The conversation pauses until the respondent completes the selection.
- Once the answer is submitted, the activity continues.
Note: Follow-up questions for these multiple-choice tasks are always set to 0 and cannot be changed.
Screen Recording Tasks (Beta)
The Screen Recording task response type allows participants in AI-led self-paced activities to record their screen and audio directly from their browser. This lets researchers observe how participants interact with websites, prototypes, or applications while the AI interviewer guides them through the task.
This response type is only available within AI-led conversation activities and requires access to the Interview Agent. Participants complete their recording as part of an AI-led dialogue: the AI provides task instructions, pauses during the recording, and then resumes with follow-up questions once the participant ends the recording.
Each recording is automatically transcribed in the respondent’s spoken language and translated into English using machine translation. Subtitles in both languages are available, and researchers can review, summarize, clip, and analyze recordings just like other self-paced responses.
Beta availability
Screen Recording will is in beta since January 2026 for all organizations using the Interview Agent.
How screen recording works in AI-led activities
When creating an AI-led self-paced activity, researchers can add a Screen Recording task:
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Select the task type
Choose Screen + Audio when adding a new AI-led task. -
Add task instructions
Provide clear guidance on what participants should do during the recording, for example, navigating a prototype and describing what they notice. -
Optional URL
Include a link to the website or application that participants should visit during the task. -
AI follow-up prompts
The AI automatically pauses during screen recording.
Once the participant stops recording, the AI resumes and asks follow-up questions.
Default prompts are provided, but researchers can edit or expand them.
NOTE: Screen Recording is supported on desktop browsers only. Participants are informed of this before starting the task. The supported browsers are Chrome (v72+), Edge (v79+), Firefox (v66+), and Safari (v13+).
Screen Recording Participant Experience
The AI introduces the task and explains how to share the screen and microphone.
Participants choose which screen, window, or browser tab to record.
A Stop Recording button remains visible throughout the recording.
When the recording ends, the AI continues with follow-up questions and records their answers.
Screen Recording Tasks - Respondent Experience (Beta)
Viewing Stimulus - Respondent Experience
The video below showcases the respondent's experience when conversing with the interview agent in a task that includes stimuli to view.
This article Self-paced Feedback for Research Respondent, is a step-by-step guide showing respondents how to complete their self-capture activity and how to answer each kind of question, including the AI-led interview task.
Follow-Up Behaviour and Timing
The Interview Agent is designed to probe for additional detail and clarity from respondents. Each task question can have up to three follow-ups, but fewer may be asked if the respondent’s answers are clear and detailed. Follow-up responses are typically delivered within two to three seconds to maintain a natural pace. If anything goes wrong during the session, respondents can cancel out and rejoin at any time.
Reviewing Responses
When reviewing responses, researchers will see the same interface as with other self-paced feedback tasks. They can view results by task or respondent. Audio is displayed in a dual waveform layout: the top waveform shows the respondent, and the bottom shows the AI moderator.
Researchers will be able to automatically translate AI-led responses into English using the existing toggle. Transcripts include speaker labels, so it’s easy to distinguish who said what. AI follow-ups are nested under the task question to preserve the conversational flow, rather than being listed as separate tasks.
Note: Researchers cannot request a redo or create highlight reels from AI-led tasks at this time.
Example of an audio and video AI-led Task response. On the right, you have the transcript, and on the left, you have the video submission.
Example of an audio-only AI-led Task response. On the right, you have the transcript, and on the left, you have the audio submission.
Summarizing and Analyzing Responses
Researchers can use the Self-Paced Summary tool to generate summaries for AI-led audio tasks. The process is the same as with video and open-ended text responses. The system automatically filters out AI moderator dialogue, so all quotes and insights are drawn solely from what respondents say. Researchers can ask their own custom questions (e.g., “What do participants value most about this product?”), Or choose from a bank of Frequently Asked Questions.
Researchers can also combine summaries from AI Audio tasks with responses from other open-ended tasks in a single view, allowing for comprehensive qualitative analysis.
Summaries can be downloaded or saved.
The results will look like this:
Summaries can be downloaded or saved.
Note: Quotes are currently available for AI-led tasks, but researchers cannot play clips of the source audio on the Summary page at this time.
For more on the subject, you can review this article: Self-Paced Summaries With Genie
Best Practices for AI-Led Interviews with the Interview Agent
For detailed guidance on writing effective Activity Goals, Task Questions, and custom follow-up instructions, see our Best Practices for AI-Led Interviews with the Interview Agent.
Interview Agent Usage
Organization Admins can view how many interviews have been used versus the total purchased. Usage is counted per respondent who starts a Self-Paced Activity with an AI-Led Conversation task. It can be viewed in the organization settings. This section is only visible for organizations that have the Interview Agent.
Language Support
Supported languages include:
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Afrikaans Arabic Armenian Azerbaijani Belarusian Bosnian Bulgarian Catalan Croatian Czech Danish Dutch English Estonian Finnish French Galician German Greek Hebrew |
Hindi Hungarian Icelandic Indonesian Italian Japanese Kannada Kazakh Korean Latvian Lithuanian Macedonian Malay Marathi Maori Nepali Norwegian Persian Polish |
Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swahili Swedish Tagalog Tamil Thai Turkish Ukrainian Urdu Vietnamese Welsh |
Supported Countries and Territories
Discuss AI Interviews is supported in over 200 countries and territories globally, including major regions like North America, the UK, Europe, Australia, India, and Japan. See full list below
Our AI partner restricts access from regions governed by sanctions, local regulations, or areas where they do not operate. Unsupported regions to note are: China, North Korea, Russia, Belarus, Cuba, Iran, Syria, Venezuela, and parts of Ukraine.
If a respondent tries to take an AI interview from an unsupported region, they will be met with this error:
Full supported country and territory list
- Albania
- Algeria
- Afghanistan
- Andorra
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belgium
- Belize
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cabo Verde
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Chile
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Congo (Brazzaville)
- Congo (DRC)
- Costa Rica
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czechia (Czech Republic)
- Denmark
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Estonia
- Eswatini (Swaziland)
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Greece
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Holy See (Vatican City)
- Honduras
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Micronesia
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Palestine
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania
- Rwanda
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Samoa
- San Marino
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- South Sudan
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Suriname
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Sudan
- Taiwan
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste (East Timor)
- Togo
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Ukraine (with certain exceptions)
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Best Practices for AI-Led Interviews with the Interview Agent
The Interview Agent FAQs