Doing qualitative research in conversation with AI, Nov 10, 2026

Doing qualitative research in conversation with AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools – such as generative AI with Large Language Models – are rapidly reshaping how qualitative research is conducted. While they improve and speed up various parts of the research process, they also raise important questions about their ethical use in interpretive research processes, potential risks to the responsible conduct of research, and data security. In this workshop, we will explore the AI tools available to researchers and share how we are already integrating them into our daily work. We will explore best practices, discuss how conversations accumulate, where the outputs come from, and what it means to do qualitative data analysis with conversational systems that respond to us adaptively. We will conclude with some reflections on accountability and responsibility in using generative AI for research, along with related ethical issues. 

Who can participate? 

The event is aimed at researchers who are interested in a basic introduction to AI in research work with qualitative research methods.
 

Schedule (tentative) 

Hybrid: 
09:30 – 10:30 (60 min) Lecture: Introduction to genAI: Workflows for qualitative researchers. 
10:30 – 10:40 (10 min) Break 
10:40 – 11:30 (50 min) Lecture: Ethical and responsible AI, research integrity, risks, and legal considerations for researchers. (video) 
11:30 – 12:30 (60 min) Lunch 
 
In person only: 
12:30 – 13:30 (60 min) Workshop: Which tools/techniques/prompts do you use, and for what purpose? A collaborative workshop for sharing best practices. Group work with 3–5 participants, in person only. 
13:30 – 13:45 (15 min) Break 
13:45 – 14:15 (30 min) Review: Presentation of the learning outcomes of each group 
14:15 – 14:45 (30 min) Lecture:  Advanced workflows for qualitative researchers: image synthesis, using AI coding (programming) agents (video) 
14:45 – 15:15 (30 min) Final remarks & Open discussion 
15:30 Session ends 
 

References and materials  

• Best practices for AI use in research (Aalto University) 

• Coding with AI (agents) materials and video 

• Responsible use of AI 

• European Commission's LIVING GUIDELINES ON THE RESPONSIBLE USE OF GENERATIVE AI IN RESEARCH PUBLISHED 

• Extensive list of generative AI tools in research and education 

Instructor

Dr. Emrecan Gulay, Postdoctoral researcher, Data Agent, School of Business, Aalto University 

Helpers:
Dr. Enrico Glerean, Staff Scientist, Data Agent, School of Science, Aalto University 
Dr. Pedro Silva, Research Software Engineer, Data Agent, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University