The research institute of the future
Zeitgeist Labs runs hundreds of AI-powered interviews in a short time and analyses them with scientific rigour. Governments, foundations, universities and companies use the findings to include perspectives they would otherwise miss.
References
The questions our clients ask.
All studies
“What holds young people back from running for political office – and how can we support them on their path into politics?”
Hertie-Stiftung · doing.politicsView case
“How do students experience our teaching, and what is missing?”
RWTH Aachen · TeachingView case
“What matters to young people from migrant backgrounds, and what do they need to reach their full potential?”
START-Stiftung · Community studyView case
- AG Digital Health, Charité
“How can AI prepare future doctors for difficult conversations with patients?”
AG Digital Health, Charité · AIMEDView case
“How do people from migrant backgrounds experience belonging in Germany?”
neue deutsche organisationen · zugehört … & zugehörig?View case
“How do you really understand a highly international student body?”
Mediadesign Hochschule · Student studyView case
“What drives innovation in companies, and what holds it back?”
RWTH Aachen · New Business FactoryView case
“Where do doctors see the gaps in breast cancer care?”
Psyma+Exevia Health · Breast cancerView case
“What makes an organisation tick?”
The Culture Institute · Culture AIView case
“How do we preserve what our experts know and make it available to customers?”
AXSOL · Knowledge infrastructureView case
“How do we shape our bank’s future, and how does our strategy become part of everyday work?”
Volksbank Bodensee-Oberschwaben · ZukunftsbankView case
How we work
We see your study through from start to finish.
Study design
Our researchers design your study.
Data collection
We talk to people. In more than 20 languages, hundreds at a time.
Analysis
We analyse the interviews, rigorously and in real time.
Results
The results are interactive. Ask follow-up questions and discover something new. With every study, you learn more about your community or stakeholders.
Why Zeitgeist Labs
Results in days, not months.
Findings arrive within days. You can keep asking them new questions, and each new round of interviews adds to them.
Hear more voices.
Hundreds to thousands of participants, anywhere in the world, in more than 20 languages, around the clock. They take part in the browser, by chat or by phone. People who cannot read or write can simply talk.
Designed by researchers.
Our researchers design every study, choose the methods and are responsible for the quality of the results.
Our principles
Data security and data sovereignty. Made in Europe.
We are a German company based in Berlin. Your data is stored on servers in Frankfurt and processed in the EU. It stays yours: Zeitgeist Labs does not train models on client data.
GDPR-compliant. Servers in Frankfurt, processing in the EU.
Named a pioneering solution by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE).
Among the first start‑ups with access to Europe’s largest supercomputer.
About Zeitgeist Labs
Who we are
The world is changing faster than we can understand it. Yet many decisions that shape the lives of thousands or millions of people still rest on small samples and a limited view of the people they affect.
Zeitgeist Labs is building the institute for the next generation of applied social and health research.
We develop scientific methods and technologies that combine the depth of qualitative research with the breadth of quantitative research. Our researchers stay at the centre. AI extends what they can do: include more people, find knowledge that would otherwise stay hidden, and see patterns that conventional methods miss.
We want to help answer the big questions of our time, and to make sure the answers reach the people who decide.
Where we come from
We are sociologists, economists, philosophers, physicians, computer scientists, engineers, AI researchers, psychologists and political scientists.
Fellowship
The Zeitgeist Labs Fellowship lets selected Master’s and PhD students work with our research infrastructure. Register your interest here.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Are AI interviews reliable?
Yes. In studies, trained reviewers could not distinguish AI interviews from human-led ones, and participants preferred the AI interviewer. Answers in an AI interview are about two and a half times as long as answers typed into an open text field. What matters is that the interviews are set up properly and the results are checked, so our researchers always do both themselves.
Read the evidenceDoes AI replace your researchers?
No. Our researchers develop the research questions, design the studies, and are responsible for scientific quality and interpreting the results. AI doesn’t replace this work. Instead, it expands what we can do in research. It allows us to have in-depth conversations with large numbers of people, analyse vast amounts of different types of data and uncover new patterns and connections. This means our researchers can not only work faster and more comprehensively, but also ask new questions and gain insights that were previously difficult to obtain.
How do you reach participants?
Usually our clients already have access to their target group. The interviews work in more than 20 languages, by phone, and without any reading or writing, so we also reach people whom conventional surveys often miss. Nobody needs an appointment: participants take part when it suits them, at home, on the train or in the car. We are happy to advise on invitations and incentives.
How is the data protected?
We comply with the GDPR, and the data is stored on servers in the EU. We do not train models on your data, and we use it only for the research purpose agreed with you. Our privacy policy has the details on hosting, storage and deletion.
PrivacyHow much does a study cost?
That depends on the scope, the complexity and the number of interviews. Our studies usually cost considerably less than comparable research done with human interviewers. There is no fixed price per participant and no subscription. The Intelligence Dashboard is included for the length of the study and for several weeks afterwards.
How is Zeitgeist Labs different from a traditional research institute?
We work to the same standard: rigorous methods, experienced researchers, and we stand behind the result. The difference is in how we collect the data. With AI-powered interviews we can talk to everyone rather than a small sample, in their own language, in days rather than months. Your data also stays useful after the report. You can keep asking it questions and add new sources.
What services does Zeitgeist Labs offer?
We see a project through from the first question to the report. We do evaluations and impact measurement, research alongside programmes and pilots, health services research, and needs and audience analyses. We also survey participants, employees and stakeholders. Our services page gives an overview.
See our servicesHow soon will we see results?
Data collection can start at very short notice, and you will not wait months for a report. As soon as the first interviews are in, you can see the results in the Intelligence Dashboard as they arrive.
I have been invited to an interview. What happens to my answers?
Taking part is voluntary, and you can stop at any time. We anonymise your answers. The client cannot see who said what unless you have been told in advance that your answers will be attributed to you. What we store, and for how long, is explained before every interview and in our privacy policy.
PrivacyContact
Have a question? We love those. Get in touch.Contact
How we get started
- A first call about your question.
- We design the study and choose the methods.
- Data collection starts.