AI-based research tech company OpenSurvey said on Wednesday it introduced a feature that allows users to chat with AI-generated synthetic consumers on its consumer intelligence platform Dataspace.

It said Dataspace users can interview synthetic consumers generated from real consumer data to explore target audiences.

Users can build segments based on OpenSurvey trend report data or user survey data, generate synthetic consumer personas representing those segments and talk with them directly. The company said the feature is used to predict consumption trends in a specific category, forecast reactions to products under planning, or identify areas to refine a concept at low cost and in a short time. It said the feature is available for free to users who sign up for Dataspace.

In a survey of OpenSurvey webinar applicants, the top type of research respondents wanted to apply synthetic consumers to first was "target segment and persona exploration" at 52.9 percent, with multiple responses allowed. The company said the result reflects demand to sharply reduce workloads using AI because large costs and time are required from quantitative data analysis through in-depth interviews.

Dataspace synthetic consumers answer based on accumulated data when it is available, and infer answers based on persona profiles when data is not available. Unlike general-purpose AI that generates answers arbitrarily, the company said the feature distinguishes clearly the basis for its answers to provide reliable insights. After a conversation ends, it also provides a hybrid report combining quantitative data and interview content.

OpenSurvey CEO Hee-young Hwang (황희영) said, "There is no method as intuitive as interviews for understanding a target, but they could not be sufficiently used in practice due to cost and time," adding, "We will narrow that gap through conversations with synthetic consumers and continue strengthening the product so it can predict the feasibility of ideas in the market."