AI-Assisted Features Overview¶
Askalot integrates AI assistance throughout the survey research workflow, helping researchers design, execute, and analyze surveys more efficiently while maintaining formal mathematical rigor.
The AI-Assisted Workflow¶
AI capabilities are embedded at each stage of the survey lifecycle:
flowchart LR
subgraph design["1. Design"]
d1[Research Brief] --> d2[Research Agent]
d2 --> d3[Research Document]
d3 --> d4[Designer Agent]
d4 --> d5[SMT Validation]
end
subgraph campaign["2. Campaign"]
c1[Wizard Guidance] --> c2[Strategy Design]
c2 --> c3[Pool Generation]
c3 --> c4[Launch]
end
subgraph execute["3. Execute"]
e1[Real Respondents] --> e2[Survey Completion]
e3[Persona Simulation] --> e2
end
subgraph analyze["4. Analyze"]
a1[Bronze Dataset] --> a2[Quality Metrics]
a2 --> a3[AI Analyst]
a3 --> a4[Structured Report]
end
design --> campaign
campaign --> execute
execute --> analyze
Feature Summary¶
| Feature | Stage | Purpose | Key Capabilities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Questionnaire Generation | Design | Transform research briefs into validated QML | Research Agent + Designer Agent collaboration, semantic indexing, SMT validation |
| Campaign Management | Campaign | Guide campaign setup and execution | Wizard flow, chat interface, sampling strategy design |
| Response Generation | Execute | Simulate campaigns with synthetic data | Persona profiles, realistic responses, pipeline testing |
| Result Analysis | Analyze | Evaluate data quality and generate reports | Sample representativeness, response quality metrics, AI analyst reports |
AI-Assisted Questionnaire Generation¶
Stage: Design | Tool: Armiger
Transform research documents and briefs into formally verified QML questionnaires using two specialized AI agents.
Two agents collaborate: a Research Agent analyzes uploaded documents (PDFs, specs, regulations) and extracts requirements, then a Designer Agent generates formally verified QML with parallel block generation and SMT validation.
AI-Assisted Campaign Management¶
Stage: Campaign | Tool: Targetor
Two complementary interfaces for campaign setup and management.
Campaign Wizard¶
Guided multi-step flow for beginners:
- Campaign Design - Name, questionnaire selection, mode
- Target Audience - Demographics, sample size
- Sampling Strategy - Stratification factors, distributions
- Respondent Pool - Generate and preview pool quality
- Review & Launch - Summary, validation, deployment
Chat Interface¶
On-demand conversational interface for power users:
- "Merge these two pools to get more respondents"
- "Show me which interviewers have the lowest completion rates"
- "Create a new pool with only respondents aged 25-34"
- "Compare response rates between campaign versions"
Agentic Response Generation¶
Stage: Execute | Tool: Portor MCP (mass_fill_surveys)
Generate synthetic survey data for testing, validation, and demo purposes. The mass_fill_surveys tool offers four distribution strategies to balance speed vs. response quality:
Distribution Strategies¶
| Strategy | Engine | Speed | Quality | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
realistic |
Weighted random | Instant | Medium | Default — demographically influenced responses |
random |
Uniform random | Instant | Low | Stress testing, edge case discovery |
stratified |
Strata-matched | Instant | Medium | Quota-balanced samples |
llm |
Claude Haiku | ~1s/question | High | Realistic synthetic data, demos, presentations |
llm mode produces the highest quality synthetic data: each question is answered by Claude Haiku with the full persona profile, respondent demographics, and accumulated Q&A history for intra-survey consistency. A respondent who answers "unemployed" won't describe a workplace later.
Rule-based modes (realistic, random, stratified) use weighted random selection based on persona traits — faster for high-volume pipeline testing where response quality matters less.
AI-Assisted Result Analysis¶
Stage: Analyze | Tool: Balansor
Evaluate survey data quality across two dimensions and generate methodology-grounded reports.
Two Quality Dimensions¶
| Dimension | Metrics | Question Answered |
|---|---|---|
| Sample Representativeness | RMSE, MAE, Chi-Square, Max Deviation, Quality Score | Does the sample match the target population? |
| Response Quality | Normalized Entropy, Straightlining, Cronbach's Alpha, Acquiescence Bias | Are responses reliable and informative? |
AI Analyst Agent¶
The analyst agent runs quality assessment tools via MCP, gathers campaign context, and produces a structured report:
- Executive Summary — overall fitness for purpose
- Sample Representativeness — per-factor breakdown with specific numbers
- Weighting Assessment — Bronze vs Silver improvement analysis
- Key Findings — data-driven observations
- Recommendations — prioritized, actionable next steps
The agent is grounded in established survey methodology (AAPOR, Kish, Groves, Krosnick, ESOMAR) and interprets statistical metrics in practical research context.
Integration Across Stages¶
The AI features work together seamlessly:
Document → Data Flow¶
Research Documents
↓ [AI Questionnaire Generation]
QML Questionnaire
↓ [AI Campaign Management]
Campaign with Sampling Strategy
↓ [Agentic Response Generation - optional]
Survey Responses (real or simulated)
↓ [AI Result Analysis]
Insights and Reports
Shared Context¶
AI assistants share context across the workflow:
- The Research Agent's document analysis informs the Designer Agent's QML generation
- Questionnaire structure informs sampling strategy recommendations
- Campaign demographics guide persona selection for simulation
- Survey responses feed directly into analysis tools
- Insights can trigger questionnaire refinements (closing the loop)
Project-Scoped Isolation¶
All AI-indexed documents are scoped by the active project, ensuring that research materials stay within team boundaries. In non-private organizations, each user's AI sessions are automatically scoped to their default project. This isolation carries through the entire workflow — from document indexing in Phase 1 to the Designer Agent's MCP tool access in Phase 2.
Provider Flexibility¶
Organizations can configure their preferred AI provider:
| Provider | Models | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic | Claude Sonnet, Claude Haiku | Default, best reasoning |
| AWS Bedrock | Claude, Llama | Enterprise deployments |
| OpenAI | GPT-4, GPT-4o | Alternative provider |
Customers can bring their own API credentials—no vendor lock-in.
Local Inference
The platform includes a local Ollama instance for document embedding only (BGE-M3 model for semantic indexing in Questionnaire Generation). All AI agent tasks — questionnaire design, campaign management, response simulation, and result analysis — require a cloud AI provider (Anthropic, AWS Bedrock, or OpenAI). The server does not have GPU acceleration for running large language models locally.
Getting Started¶
-
Design a Questionnaire
Transform your research brief into a validated survey
-
Set Up a Campaign
Use the wizard or chat interface to configure your campaign
-
Test with Simulation
Validate your campaign with synthetic respondents
-
Analyze Results
Generate insights from your survey data
Related Documentation¶
- User Guide Overview - Complete platform workflow
- QML Syntax Reference - Questionnaire language specification
- MCP Interface - Tools available to AI agents