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AI Telephone Surveying: Automating Quantitative Data Collection with an AI Interviewer

Created by
  • Haebom

Author

Danny D. Leybzon, Shreyas Tirumala, Nishant Jain, Summer Gillen, Michael Jackson, Cameron McPhee, Jennifer Schmidt

Outline

This paper presents an AI telephone survey using an AI system built on large-scale language models (LLMs), automatic speech recognition (ASR), and speech synthesis technologies. Unlike traditional IVR approaches, it provides a more natural and adaptive respondent experience and is more robust to the peculiarities of human speech (interruptions, corrections, etc.). The researchers conducted two pilot surveys with the SSRS Opinion Panel and evaluated the respondent experience through a subsequent human-administered survey. The results, measured by three metrics—survey completion rates, abandonment rates, and respondent satisfaction—suggest that shorter surveys and more responsive AI interviewers can contribute to improvements in all three metrics.

Takeaways, Limitations

Takeaways:
AI phone surveys present a novel data collection method that can scale quantitative research.
LLM, ASR, and speech synthesis technologies can be used to simultaneously achieve human-like interaction and methodological rigor.
We show that short questionnaires and responsive AI interviewers can increase the effectiveness of surveys.
Limitations:
This is a limited-scale study based on pilot study results. Generalizability needs to be verified through larger-scale studies.
Further research is needed into factors that affect AI system performance and respondent satisfaction (e.g., AI tone of voice, response speed, etc.).
Additional research is needed with respondents with diverse demographic characteristics.
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