Awkward Silences

#188 - Why AI Can't Replace Qualitative Research with Sam Ladner of Workday

April 28, 2026·49 min·8-min readinterviewtechnology
Podzilla Summary (8 min)
TLDR
Qualitative research is undergoing a transformation with AI, but the core of the work — cognitive sense-making, emotional insight, and human intuition — remains irreplaceable. While AI excels at labor-intensive tasks like transcription and coding, it cannot replicate the human capacity for

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Guest

S

Sam Ladner

interview on Awkward Silences

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Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.

People

Sam LadnerErin MayCarol Guest

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Practical Ethnographyby Sam LadnerMixed Methodsby Sam LadnerBreaking Throughby Catalin Karikó

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Max QDA

Topics

Artificial IntelligenceFuture Of WorkLeadership

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