Artificial Intelligence in Qualitative Research: Beyond Outsourcing Data Analysis to the Machine

This article examines the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into qualitative psychological research, focusing specifically on AI-assisted data analysis and its epistemological and ethical implications. While recent publications highlight AI’s potential to support analysis, such approaches risk undermining the reflexive, situated, and culturally sensitive foundations of qualitative inquiry. Drawing on relational and social constructionist epistemologies, as well as examining risks inherent in AI technologies, this work critiques the superficial outsourcing of analytical and interpretive processes to AI models. This trend reflects a broader tendency to regard AI as a neutral and objective research tool, rather than as an active participant whose outputs are shaped by, and in turn shape, the social, cultural, and technological contexts in which it operates. An alternative framework is proposed for integrating AI into qualitative inquiry, particularly in psychological research, where data are often sensitive, situated, and ethically complex. A list of best practices is also included and discussed. Key ethical concerns, such as data privacy, related algorithmic affordances, and the need for comprehensive informed consent, are examined. The article concludes with a call to nurture a qualitative research culture that embraces relational and reflective practices alongside a critical and informed use of AI in research.