In every creative endeavor such as art and writing, artificial intelligence tools make the job easy and enable the ideas of people untrained in painting or photography to produce a high-quality work. The same can be said about journalism, in which AI can begin with an open-ended question and then follow up based on the respondent’s answers. Should this writer feel threatened by software?

“You can interview a hundred Queens residents, make a hundred phone calls, or zoom sessions, or cultivate the story with the data you’ve collected. You can analyze the data, and everything is backed by real quotes,” said CloudResearch executive Reuben Paris.

Founded in 2014, the company uses AI to gauge public opinion and supply it to government agencies, companies, polling and news organizations.

“The company has its roots in Kew Gardens Hills. “Cofounder Yoni Robinson is a PhD in Computer Science, a graduate of Queens College, and deputy chair of computer science at Touro College. Leib Litman is from the Bronx. They talked to each other and found huge inefficiencies in how research is done. They refined how data is collected online,” Paris said.

He spoke of his colleagues as a dynamic team, whose unique backgrounds bring together serious research and technical abilities to drive the innovation.

As a “prime voter,” I am often polled by phone, text, and email for my opinions on current events. How easy is it to lie on these surveys, or simply click through the questions to finish it off? The CloudResearch team asked the same question and found examples where the answers did not reflect reality.

“During the Covid pandemic, President Trump made a claim about drinking bleach. CDC ran a study polling people online if they’ve ever drank bleach and they reported five percent had done so. Leib Litman did not think it was likely that someone would do such a thing. When he ran his own survey, it was zero percent.”

Paris said that surveys that pay participants to answer questions are likely to produce fraudulent results. Robinson and Litman created tools to filter out cheating.

“Someone clicking through without being thoughtful. Someone who has no headaches taking a poll on migraines, or a click farm in India with many participants. We find ways to identify bad actors. It’s a science in itself.”

Having created a platform for participants, the company then built its online Engage surveys with AI. “What we’ve done with Engage is to turn questions into conversations. To find out why people have their beliefs.”

“People are naturally shy on sensitive topics. Abortion, for example. With AI, it’s judgment free.”

In August 2024, CloudResearch collaborated with Siena College on a presidential poll. It found that 60 percent of voters believed Trump would be a strong leader, compared to 33 percent who felt the same about Harris. Relying on the Engage interviewing platform, rather than a call center, not only produced more forthcoming answers, but also reduced the cost of a polling operation.

Following the presidential election, they polled 6,000 participants on the assassination of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. To his surprise, Paris found that 12 percent agreed with Luigi Mangione’s actions, with the number rising to 28 percent among younger adults. “Why were people feeling this way? It was very surprising. People felt that the industry was taking advantage of them.”

Perhaps one impact of this poll was the focus of news organizations on the rates and reasons for declination of insurance coverage, recognizing the public sentiment, after initially focusing on the murderer.

Last week, Paris used AI to conduct an interview with Queens Jewish Link publisher Yaakov Serle. “He was talking to the AI system, which then asked him for follow-ups on the creation of the Queens Jewish Link. It did a really good job.” Serle had options whether to respond by typing or with his voice.

Paris said that his platform does not take away work from journalists but makes it easier by interacting with more people within a short time frame for a story. “We try to make the process more efficient, harvesting the power of AI to do ten times the work that you’re doing.”

Alongside his work, the married father of four serves as president of the Young Israel of Queens Valley, bringing his life experiences and profession to the k’hilah.

“We have pride in our members and highlight their unique stories. To know each other more, who is sitting next to you. We have gems in our midst and do not know it. Yaakov Serle is one example.”

Paris was raised in a small Jewish community in Birmingham, Alabama, and moved north to attend Touro College. “What we’re doing in Queens is from my experience of the shul as a hub of Jewish life. That small town ethos.”

By Sergey Kadinsky