AI-moderated interviews that ask why.
Underheard talks to real people out loud, hears the whole answer and asks the follow-up. Run hundreds of customer interviews in a week, in 120+ languages.
English, United StatesWhat made you stop?
It wasn't the food. It just started to feel like a chore.
A chore how?
What is an AI-moderated interview?
An AI-moderated interview is a research conversation where an AI asks a real person questions and follows up on their answers. Underheard runs these out loud, one person at a time, on any phone or laptop. There's no app to install.
The people are real, and they describe their own experience. A survey comment like "confusing" leaves you guessing at the cause. A follow-up about that exact moment gives your team something to change.
Everyone is told at the start that they're talking to an AI.
Write one question. Get the whole interview.
Tell Underheard what you need to learn and who you need to hear from. It drafts the guide, and you change anything in place.
- Edit every question in your own words
- Choose how many follow-ups each one gets
- Send one link, or use our panel with your quotas
Why do customers cancel in their fourth month?
Walk me through the last time you used it.
What changed around your fourth month?
What did you try before you cancelled?
120+ languages. One report.
Each person hears the questions and answers in the language they speak best. Your team reads one set of themes.
- Run one study across countries
- Everyone answers in their own language
- Every market lands in the same report
Too many decisions
One theme from four markets
How AI-moderated interviews work
- 1Write your question.Say what you need to learn, who you need to hear from and which decision it supports.
- 2Edit the guide.Underheard drafts it from your brief, and you change anything you want.
- 3Send the link.Invite your own customers, or use our panel with your quotas.
- 4Let people talk.They join when it suits them, and the interviewer follows up on every answer.
- 5Read the report.Underheard links each finding to the interviews behind it.
A study takes a couple of hours to under a week. Underheard runs hundreds of customer interviews in a week.
Hear a sample interview.
69 seconds, voice to voice, follow-ups included.
People talk when it suits them.
People join by link on a phone or laptop, at any hour. Nobody books a session.
When interviews happen
of interviews happen outside office hours, across hundreds of people
the words people type in a comment box, in customer feedback
languages, with every market in one report
Open a finding. See who said it.
Underheard groups the answers into themes, with counts and quotes. Each finding links to the interviews behind it.
See how many people said it.
Every answer lands in a theme, with its count beside it.
Read what they said.
Open a theme for the quotes, and see what each person was asked.
Customer, GermanySend it on.
Download the report as PowerPoint, PDF or Markdown.
Swap the calendar for a link.
A moderator books one session at a time. One Underheard link runs hundreds of customer interviews in a week, and your team gets its time back.
AI-moderated interviews vs human moderators vs surveys
| Underheard | Human moderators | Surveys | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Format | Voice-to-voice. Text and video available. | A live session on a booked call. | Typed answers in a form. |
| Follow-ups | Asks about what the person just said. | Change with each moderator. | None. A form never asks why. |
| Scheduling | People join by link at any hour. | Every interview needs a calendar slot. | People fill it in when they open it. |
| Scale | Hundreds of interviews in a week. | Capped by the moderator's diary. | More comments, no more depth. |
| Evidence | Each finding links to its interviews. | Someone reads and groups every session. | Stops at the typed answer. |
Who uses AI-moderated interviews
Insights, UX and agency teams run their interviews on Underheard, including Cashyou, GuestReady, TrekkSoft, Venturelab and Favory.
- Insights leadsRun the whole study, from the question to the report.
- UX researchersShow a concept during the interview and hear what people make of it.
- Research agenciesRun client interviews all at once and take on bigger studies.
Can AI-moderated interviews replace a human moderator?
Yes. Underheard conducts the interview and asks the follow-ups. Your team owns the brief and the conclusions, and gets its week back.
You edit the guide before launch, Underheard asks about what each person said, and each finding links to the interviews behind it.
In its review of 30 January 2026, Nielsen Norman Group tested two AI interviewers and found they follow the script and skip unexpected insights. Underheard listens to the whole answer and asks about what was said.
How to choose an AI-moderated interview tool
Run one interview yourself and check these five things.
- Hear it follow upGive a vague answer and listen to the next question.
- Open it on a phoneUnderheard works from a link, with nothing to install.
- Check the languagesUnderheard supports 120+, with every market in one report.
- Open a findingUnderheard shows who said it and what they were asked.
- Ask where the data livesUnderheard stores study data in the EU under GDPR, with a DPA on request.
Comparing tools? Read Underheard vs Listen Labs, Underheard vs Outset and Underheard vs Strella.
Questions people ask
What is Underheard?
An AI interviewer that talks to your customers out loud, one at a time, and turns every conversation into one report you can act on.
What are the best AI-moderated interview tools for market research?
Choose Underheard for spoken answers from real people, relevant follow-ups and findings linked to the interviews.
Are AI-moderated interviews accurate?
Yes. Underheard gives you neutral questions, relevant follow-ups and findings you can trace to the answers.
How can I interview 200 customers in a week?
Send a link or use our panel with your quotas. Underheard runs hundreds of customer interviews in a week, with nobody booking sessions.
Do people really open up to an AI?
People answer out loud, in their own words, whenever it suits them, and the interviewer asks why. Everyone is told at the start that it is an AI.
Can AI-moderated interviews replace a human moderator?
Yes. Underheard conducts the interview and asks the follow-ups. Your team owns the brief and the conclusions.
How long does a study take?
A couple of hours to under a week.
How much do AI-moderated interviews cost?
Around 70% less than a traditional interview round, because nobody has to moderate, schedule or take notes. Your Underheard quote depends on your audience, the number of interviews and the support your team wants.
Where is the data stored?
In the EU under GDPR, with a DPA on request.
How is it set up?
You write the question in your own words. Underheard drafts the interview, you edit it, and the first link is ready to send.
1 Underheard voice interviews averaged about 112 words per person across 283 interviews, 2 October 2026. Typed answers to an open survey question average 12 to 14 words, Lenzner, Hoehne and Gavras, 2024.
2 Across hundreds of people. Interviews for our European customers held before 08:00, after 18:00 or at weekends, Zurich time.
Hear what your customers won't type.
Book a demo