Open end text responses are rich source of insights in market research, but manually coding open-ended to systematically extract can take hours (if not days) to sort through raw text and make sense of it all.

That’s why we built Protobi AI Autocode. It’s a fast, intelligent way to take your open-ends from a messy wall of text to neatly categorized insights without spending all day doing it manually.

What It Does

Protobi AI Autocode uses machine learning to help you quickly categorize open-ended responses. Whether you’re just starting out or halfway through coding, Autocode can:

  • Build a codeframe from scratch Start fresh Protobi looks at your raw responses, finds patterns, and creates a brand-new set of categories to apply.

  • Finish what you started Already coded some responses? Use Autocode to finish the rest without changing what you’ve already done.

  • Apply existing codes Got a predefined codeframe you need to stick to? Protobi can tag responses using only the categories you provide.

  • Label and describe your codes If you have a set of categories but no clear labels, Autocode can generate definitions to help clarify what each one means (super helpful when sharing results with clients or stakeholders).

It’s basically like having a smart assistant that handles the grunt work and lets you focus on the important stuff.

Why People Love It

This isn’t just about saving time (though it absolutely does that). It’s about making qualitative data more usable. Here's what sets it apart:

  • Fast: Go from raw data to categorized insights in minutes, not hours.
  • Consistent: Get uniform coding, especially across large datasets.
  • Flexible: You can review, tweak, and override anything the AI does you're always in control.
  • Clear: Built-in descriptions make it easier to explain and document your categories.

Whether you're dealing with customer feedback, brand perceptions, or open-ends in a segmentation study, Autocode helps you get to the insights faster without cutting corners.

How it works

For text open ends, press the bot icon in the element header:

Select how you want it to code. For most cases, you can just choose create to develop a new coding scheme from scratch:

The dialog returns an analysis with themes, descriptions and counts:

If you press Ok, the results are automatically applied in Protobi:

A Better Way to Code

If you've used Protobi’s Recode (advanced) tool before, you’ll feel right at home. Autocode lives right inside it, with options to create, complete, apply, or describe categories. It even shows progress in real time and gives you a clean panel to manage your codes edit labels, drag and drop tags, remove or reassign responses, and more.

It’s still your codeframe, just way faster to build and manage.

Bottom Line

If you're analyzing open-ends, Protobi AI Autocode is a game changer. It does the heavy lifting, speeds up your workflow, and still gives you full control to make sure the final product reflects your expertise.

Open-end analysis doesn’t have to be painful. With Protobi AI Autocode, it’s actually kind of… fun.

Want to give it a try or have questions? Drop us a line at support@protobi.com we’re happy to help.