In this episode of the Happy Market Research Podcast, Dan Fleetwood speaks with Andy Garlikov, Director of Strategic Insights at HowSo, about the evolving role of qualitative researchers in an AI-powered world. Andy shares how he moved from customer and executive engagement into qualitative research, and why he believes researchers often undersell themselves by calling their work “moderation” instead of facilitation. The conversation explores where AI-moderated research works, where it still falls short, and why empathy, rapport, nonverbal cues, and human curiosity remain essential to getting deeper insights.
In this episode, Dan Fleetwood talks with Andy Garlikov about the changing role of qualitative researchers as AI becomes more common in research workflows.
Andy explains how he fell into market research after years in customer and executive engagement, discovering that the facilitation skills he developed in advisory boards and executive programs applied directly to qualitative research. He argues that the word “moderator” often undersells what great researchers actually do: create the conditions for deeper, more open, more useful conversations.
The conversation covers the rise of AI-moderated research, synthetic respondents, and democratized research tools. Andy shares where he sees AI adding value, especially as a thought partner, proofreader, summarizer, and red-teaming tool. But he also points out what AI still misses: empathy, nonverbal signals, pauses, tone, rapport, and the ability to notice what is not being said.
Guest:
Andy Garlikov – Director of Strategic Insights at HowSo. Andy brings a background in customer engagement, executive advisory programs, and qualitative research. His work focuses on helping organizations uncover deeper insights through strong facilitation, human-centered conversations, and thoughtful use of AI in the research process.
Useful links:
Andy Garlikov on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andygarlikov/
Dan Fleetwood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danfleetwood
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