inca SmartProbe API

Next-Generation AI Probing

Built By Market Researchers, For Market Researchers

Unlike generic AI probing, inca SmartProbe is a purpose-built research intelligence system that thinks like an expert moderator - combining deep market research domain expertise with advanced neuro-symbolic AI to deliver probing that is as close to a human moderator as it’s possible to get.

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Why inca SmartProbe is Different

Most AI probing tools are just large language models with basic prompts. inca SmartProbe API is different - it's a sophisticated research intelligence system built on three foundational principles that deliver superior probing quality.

Principle 1

Domain-Specific, Not Out-of-the-Box

Purpose-Built for Market Research and Feedback

inca SmartProbe isn't a general conversational AI repurposed for research. We've trained our model from the ground up with extensive market research expertise:

Expert-Annotated Training Data

Our AI has learned from thousands of examples of excellent and poor probing, annotated by experienced market researchers

Conversational Research DNA

The model deeply understands the nuances of qualitative research conversations - what makes a probe insightful versus intrusive, clarifying versus leading

Context-Aware Probing

Recognizes when to dig deeper, when to pivot, and when to leave space - just like a skilled human moderator would

The result: Probes that feel natural, achieve research objectives, and maintain participant engagement.
Principle 2

Reasoning & Learning, Not Static Responses

Neuro-Symbolic AI: Combining Intuition with Intelligence

Think of it as combining System 1 and System 2 thinking - the same dual-process cognition expert researchers use:

System 1 (Neural/Intuitive)

Our large language model generates initial probe candidates based on patterns learned from extensive research conversations - fast, contextual, and adaptive.

System 2 (Symbolic/Reasoning)

A sophisticated reasoning layer evaluates and refines those candidate probes to ensure they're:

  • Relevant to market research contexts
  • Free from hallucination and bias
  • Ethically appropriate and professionally framed
  • Aligned with your specific research objectives
Why this matters: Generic LLMs can produce plausible-sounding questions that miss the mark. inca SmartProbe's reasoning layer catches these issues before they reach your participants, ensuring every probe advances your research goals.
Principle 3

Human-Steerable, Not a Black Box

You're the Research Director, AI is Your Expert Moderator

Just as you'd brief a human moderator, you can guide inca SmartProbe's behavior:

Autonomous Excellence

By default, inca SmartProbe probes intelligently for elaboration, clarification, and depth - drawing on its extensive training in research best practices.

Directed Intelligence

When you need specific focus, you can brief inca SmartProbe:

  • Objective-Driven Probing: e.g. "Focus on emotional drivers, not functional benefits"
  • Topic Management: e.g. "Always probe on sustainability mentions" or "Avoid pricing discussions"
  • Contextual Constraints: e.g. "Keep probes casual for Gen Z respondents"
  • Quality Thresholds: Set parameters for when to probe deeper versus move on

inca SmartProbe Studio: Your AI Collaboration Interface

To make steering the AI intuitive and efficient, inca SmartProbe Studio is integral to your API experience. This purpose-built interface within the inca platform makes working with inca SmartProbe collaborative and straightforward:

Visualize Before You Deploy
View simulated probing conversations or create your own instantly to see how the AI will respond
Collaborative Refinement
Work alongside the AI to fine-tune settings and optimize inca SmartProbe’s capabilities for your specific needs
Design Deeper Conversation
Easily configure extended probing sequences or mini in-depth interviews that follow specific qualitative frameworks
Effortless Client Demos
Show colleagues and clients exactly how inca SmartProbe will work in your research
Developer-Ready Export
Generate ready-to-use code that programmers can drop directly into survey scripts—making technical handoff seamless
The result: The flexibility of human expertise with the consistency and scalability of AI - plus an intuitive workspace that makes advanced AI probing accessible to everyone on your team.

The Power of Integration: All Three Principles Working Together

It's not just one innovation—it's the combination of domain expertise, reasoning architecture, and human steerability that makes inca SmartProbe uniquely powerful:

Better Insights

Sophisticated probing uncovers deeper motivations and richer context

Higher Quality

Reasoning layer ensures probes are always appropriate and effective

Full Control

You maintain research direction while AI handles execution

Proven Reliability

Built on market research principles, not just language patterns

AI-Powered Quality Control

inca SmartProbe doesn't just ask better questions - it also evaluates answer quality in real-time.

Our proprietary Demerit Classification system scores every open-ended response, automatically identifying:

Low-effort or irrelevant answers
Inconsistent information
Off-topic responses
Potential fraudulent activity

Use quality scores to:

Filter data during analysis
Trigger additional probing for vague responses
Flag participants for review
Maintain research integrity at scale

Seamless Integration

  • Simple Integration: Well-documented RESTful API
  • Real-Time Processing: Sub-second probe generation
  • Flexible Deployment: Cloud-based or on-premise options
  • Seamless participant experience: Probes are served instantly within your existing UI — maintaining survey flow without any visible handoff to AI
  • Multi-Language Support: Probe intelligently across 90+ languages and cultures

inca SmartProbe API works with any online research or feedback platform.

Use Cases

Market Research Agencies

Deliver deeper insights to clients with AI that augments your researchers.

In-House Research Teams

Scale qualitative depth across customer feedback, concept testing, and brand studies.

CX & Product Teams

Understand the "why" behind customer behavior with sophisticated follow-up questions.

Feedback & Review Platforms

Capture detailed, actionable reviews by intelligently prompting reviewers for specifics while their experience is fresh — turning brief ratings into rich, useful feedback.

Academic Researchers

Conduct rigorous qualitative research with consistent, theoretically-informed probing.

The inca SmartProbe Difference

Out-of-the-box LLM
Domain-specific research model
Pattern matching mostly
Neuro-symbolic reasoning
Fixed behavior
Human-steerable intelligence
Prone to hallucination
Quality-assured outputs
Generic questions
Research-expert probing

Frequently Asked Questions

  • inca SmartProbe API is an advanced AI-powered service that integrates with online research and feedback platforms to automatically generate intelligent, contextual follow-up questions. Unlike generic conversational AI, it's purpose-built for market research with deep domain expertise, neuro-symbolic reasoning, and human-steerable intelligence.

  • inca SmartProbe is built on three key differentiators: (1) it's trained specifically on market research data by research experts, not a generic out-of-the-box model; (2) it uses neuro-symbolic AI that combines intuitive response generation with sophisticated reasoning to ensure quality; and (3) it's fully steerable - you can guide its behavior like briefing an expert moderator while it maintains autonomous excellence.

    One important distinction: the inca Conversational Research Platform isn't a "board." It's not best suited for digital diary or journaling exercises. Think of an inca chat more like an in-depth interview completed in one sitting. Participants can take or upload pictures, record or upload videos, and they can pause and return to the chat later. But if your research requires many activities and exercises outside of the chat itself and more of a journaling style, inca may not be the best format.

  • Probes appear seamlessly within your existing survey interface with no visible indication of AI involvement. The experience feels like a natural, well-designed conversational survey. We do encourage users of inca SmartProbe to disclose AI usage as per research ethics requirements.

  • Probes are generated in real-time with sub-second latency, ensuring a smooth, uninterrupted experience for participants.

  • Yes, inca SmartProbe supports multi-language and probes natively across 90+ different languages and regions.

  • inca SmartProbe uses a straightforward RESTful API with comprehensive documentation. inca SmartProbe Studio also generates ready-to-use code that developers can directly implement in survey scripts.

  • inca SmartProbe API is platform-agnostic and works with any online research platforms and feedback tools that can make API calls. We've successfully integrated with major survey platforms, custom research applications, and feedback tools.

  • inca SmartProbe Studio is an intuitive interface within the inca platform that makes working with the API collaborative and accessible. It allows you to simulate conversations, refine AI settings, configure probing strategies, demo functionality, and export implementation code - all without writing a single line of code yourself.

  • No, but Studio makes setup and optimization significantly easier. It's particularly valuable for testing probing strategies, collaborating with stakeholders, and generating implementation code for your development team.

  • Absolutely. Studio is designed for researchers, not just developers. You can configure sophisticated probing logic, view simulated conversations, and refine AI behavior through an intuitive interface - no coding required.

  • Demerit Classification is our proprietary quality control system that automatically scores open-ended responses in real-time. It identifies low-quality answers (irrelevant, low-effort, inconsistent, or potentially fraudulent), allowing you to filter data, trigger additional probing, or flag respondents for review.

  • You have multiple levels of control: (1) inca SmartProbe probes intelligently by default based on research best practices; (2) you can set specific objectives, topics to focus on or avoid, and contextual constraints; (3) you can configure quality thresholds and probing depth parameters; and (4) inca SmartProbe Studio lets you test and refine these settings before deployment.

  • While inca SmartProbe generates probes in real-time during live surveys, you can use inca SmartProbe Studio to simulate conversations and preview how the AI will probe based on different response types. This allows you to refine settings before going live.

  • inca SmartProbe's neuro-symbolic architecture includes a reasoning layer specifically trained to ensure probes are ethically appropriate, contextually relevant, and professionally framed. The system has learned from thousands of expert-annotated examples of good and problematic probing.

  • Pricing is based on your usage volume. Please refer to the pricing page (link to pricing page) for more details. A free trial is available. 

  • We provide comprehensive technical documentation, integration support as needed, and ongoing assistance to ensure successful deployment. Our team works closely with you during setup and remains available for optimization and troubleshooting.

Ready to Experience Advanced AI Probing?

See how inca SmartProbe's sophisticated research intelligence can transform your data quality.