Data Quality in Online Research is Broken. Yasna.ai is Building a New Paradigm

The issue of respondent quality in online research isn’t new. But today, it’s no longer something the industry can politely tolerate.

There are two fundamental reasons why.

First, research is losing the battle for human attention. We’re competing for precious screen time with the addictive algorithms of social media feeds, reels, and streaming platforms. A respondent’s time and focus have become an expensive resource. Yet, most studies still rely on rigid, cognitively draining questionnaires. This mismatch is a recipe for disaster. If we don’t start treating respondent time with respect — making the experience engaging and interactive — we risk being left without a source of quality data.

Second, AI bots have mastered the classical survey format. They often guess 'correct' answers in screeners better than real humans. They complete long surveys, and generate convincing open-ended responses. They can even simulate human interaction like moving a mouse. At a glance, their responses are nearly indistinguishable from a person’s. Without new, sophisticated detection systems, these bots silently poison datasets, rendering insights worthless.

If the industry doesn’t adapt, the credibility of online research will collapse. Clients will increasingly question whether research data is truly grounded in human reality — or whether they could get the same (or better) answers by asking ChatGPT directly.

This is the problem we think about every day while building yasna.ai. We don’t just fix surveys; we replace them with something fundamentally better, more human, and technologically superior.

So how do we respond?

Try Yasna

Sign up for free

1. We Replace Surveys with Natural, Engaging Human Conversation

The core of yasna.ai is a completely different experience. We don’t present a static questionnaire; we facilitate a more natural, interactive, and engaging conversation.

Our AI moderator engages participants in a format they know and love: a modern messenger. People can type or send voice messages, share images and media, and even participate in live video interviews. They can react with emojis, making the dialogue feel alive and personal.

This isn’t a one-size-fits-all script. Our AI dynamically adapts to each person. It probes deeper on interesting points, clarifies vague statements, and adjusts its tone based on the participant’s level of engagement.

Our goal is simple:

Every interview should feel personal, emotionally engaging, and intellectually meaningful.

This messenger-like interface, with its ability to share media and enjoy adaptive dialogue, mirrors real human interaction. It’s a world away from mechanical form-filling.

And if a participant disengages, our moderator is smart enough to try to warm them up or to end the interview automatically.

We’d rather lose a respondent than pollute the data.

2. We Deploy a Multi-Layer Tech Shield Against Non-Humans

Engagement is crucial, but it’s not enough. We’ve built a layered system of technical checks designed to identify when the interview is not conducted by a real human. Our detection models analyze:

• typing speed and input patterns,

• text generation behavior,

• cursor movement dynamics,

• device and session metadata,

• and one additional ingredient we deliberately won’t disclose (in case an AI is reading this article).

Together, these allow us to flag suspicious interviews with high confidence. Where a bot slips through a traditional survey undetected, on yasna.ai, its activity is visible, traceable, and excluded. We provide technical proof of quality, not just promises.

3. We Don’t Trust Traffic Blindly — Even from Panels

When recruitment is involved, we work only with certified panel providers who are accountable for quality and agree to a reconciliation process. But we never take their word for it. Our rule is simple: trust, but verify.

If participants fail our rigorous quality criteria — whether through behavioral, technical, or contextual checks — we challenge the provider and secure compensation for our clients.

Quality isn’t a marketing claim; it’s an operational responsibility we enforce daily.

No More Boring, Exhausting Interactions

Online research doesn’t need more tweaks. The problem isn’t just "bad" respondents or panels; it’s that tools interact with people in the wrong way.

A fundamental shift in paradigm has to happen here. The responsibility is collective: panel providers, research platforms, and the researchers who design the studies. We need to move beyond boring, exhausting interactions.

The future belongs to platforms that make participation a pleasure, not a chore. And this is what we strive to do at yasna.ai. We combine an engaging, messenger-like conversation with an unmatched technological defense system, all backed by rigorous source verification.

See what happens when quality and engagement are designed into the very core of the system. Try yasna.ai.

Recording

Conversational Research Basics: Essentials and Applications

WORKSHOP: Learn more about Conversational Research.

Learn more