SmartFocus.ai, co-founded by communications veterans Stefan Pollack of The Pollack Group and Erik Deutsch, has launched an AI-powered virtual focus group platform that makes professional-grade qualitative research accessible to organizations of all sizes. The new AI tool delivers focus group results in minutes rather than weeks.
The platform addresses a long-standing challenge in communications: consequential decisions about product names, campaigns, crisis responses, and strategic initiatives are routinely made without adequate research. The issue with using a focus group was not because organizations don’t value insights, but because traditional focus groups are costly and time-consuming.
Focus Groups without the Tradeoffs
SmartFocus.ai eliminates that tradeoff, making qualitative research practical for independent agencies, brands, campaigns, nonprofits, startups, and organizations that have historically been locked out of professional research due to cost and complexity.
“I’ve been in communications for decades, and I can’t count the number of times a client had to make a consequential decision, a product name, a campaign, a crisis response, with nothing but gut instinct and internal consensus to go on. Not because they didn’t want better information, but because the alternative cost $20,000 and took three weeks. SmartFocus exists because that tradeoff was never acceptable to us, and we finally had the tools to eliminate it,” said Pollack, co-founder of SmartFocus.ai. “SmartFocus.ai is the difference between taking an educated guess and actually knowing.”
Users describe what they want to evaluate including marketing campaigns, product concepts, executive messaging, or other strategic initiatives. Based on the input, the platform builds a custom virtual focus group populated with tailored AI-generated personas representing relevant audience members or subject-matter experts.
Intelligent Moderator Leads Real-Time Discussions
An intelligent moderator leads a real-time discussion, probing for insights and facilitating interaction among participants. At the close of each session, the platform generates a structured report with clear findings, actionable recommendations, and key takeaways.
Unlike traditional focus groups, which function as one-time research exercises, SmartFocus.ai allows users to revisit sessions at any point — returning to ask follow-up questions or test revised concepts as needs evolve.
“We built SmartFocus.ai to close the gap between having a great idea and knowing if it will actually work,” said Deutsch. “Everyone has ideas, but too few get tested before they’re put into action. For most organizations, focus groups have been something only other people could afford. SmartFocus.ai puts that capability within reach.”
The launch is well-timed. According to the 2026 USC Annenberg Global Communication Report, 37% of PR professionals now identify testing messages with synthetic audiences as a high-impact priority for the next five years — reflecting a fundamental shift in how the industry approaches audience intelligence.
About SmartFocus.ai
SmartFocus.ai is an AI-powered virtual focus group platform built by communications professionals. It enables organizations to evaluate and pressure-test ideas quickly and affordably. Learn more at smartfocus.ai.
