In Conversation with UX Magazine: Recent Episodes
UX Mag
In Conversation with UX Magazine: in-depth interviews and discussion with the world-leading practitioners and innovators in designing experiences for customers and employees. Hosted by UXM editor Josh Tyson.
Robb and Josh are joined by Ed Klaris, Managing Partner at Klaris Law, Columbia Law professor, and CEO of KlarisIP, for a conversation about the fate of generative tools like LLMs and AI models that produce audio and video. From Ed’s viewpoint, giant tech companies used stolen content to train the powerful AI models that have quickly changed the world around us. The trio discuss the question of whether or not it’s lawful for us all to use generative AI tools and how IP and copyright law will impact, and be impacted by generative AI. As we wait for landmark decisions that will determine the fate of these tools, this conversation with Ed Klaris offers context and food for thought, and for some maybe even a sense of alarm.In this episode, we mention:The US Copyright Office: https://copyright.gov/The Statute of Anne, also known as the Copyright Act 1710: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statute_of_AnneGoogle Books copyright case: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authors_Guild,_Inc._v._Google,_Inc.AIr Canada AI chatbot case: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisagarcia/2024/02/19/what-air-canada-lost-in-remarkable-lying-ai-chatbot-case/Follow Ed Klaris's work: https://www.klarislaw.com/Learn about orchestrating AI agents for your team:https://onereach.ai/ai-agents/?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=copyright_law_episode&utm_content=1 #AIPodcast#TechPodcast#InvisibleMachines#AI #ArtificialIntelligence#AIAgents#AgenticAI#GenerativeAI#LLMs#IntellectualProperty#CopyrightLaw#AIEthics#TechLaw#AIRegulation #DigitalTransformation#Innovation#FutureofAI#AIandIP#LegalTech#AITransparency
Jieun Kiaer is the Professor of Korean Linguistics at Oxford and her new book, The Future of Syntax: Asian Perspectives in an AI Age, explores the complexity within Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages, arriving at insights that veer away from traditional approaches to formal syntax. The book also revisits Marc Prensky’s “digital native” concept, laying the groundwork for a new generation of technology users, “AI natives.” Jieun joins Robb and Josh for a conversation about the promise and peril of radical new technologies in classroom settings and how we might shift our focus to designing a positive future for AI natives.In this episode, we mention:Jieun Kiaer’s book “The Future of Syntax: Asian Perspectives in an AI Age”: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/future-of-syntax-9781350258273/Follow Jieun Kiaer’s work: https://www.ames.ox.ac.uk/people/jieun-kiaerLearn about orchestrating AI agents for your team:https://onereach.ai/ai-agents/?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=future_for_ai_natives_episode&utm_content=1 #AIPodcast#TechPodcast#InvisibleMachines#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #AIAgents#DigitalTransformation#Innovation#AIInEducation#DigitalNatives#AINatives#FutureOfLearning#TechnologyInClassrooms#AIandEducation #AsianLanguages#Linguistics#TechnologyInEducation#LanguageLearning##JieunKiaer
Marc Prensky is widely known for coining the terms “digital native” and “digital immigrant”—both now in the Oxford English Dictionary. In this episode, Marc joins Josh for a conversation about the shortcomings of our current education system and how AI might help inspire and enable a new generation of "AI natives" to design their own future. The two discuss the challenges that companies face in adjusting to this new technology paradigm, as well as the potential benefits and risks that conversant machines bring to society. As an eternal optimist, Marc shares his vision of how young people in the third millennium might view productivity and purpose. Marc and Josh also debate the role smartphones play in the classroom of the future, and agree that the world needs more love, empathy, gratitude, and optimism.In this episode, we mention:Marc Prensky’s book “Third Millennium Kids: A Hell Yes! Low Stress Guide For Everyone”: https://www.amazon.com/Third-Millennium-Kids-Stress-Everyone/dp/B0DC3J8XV6Learn more about Marc Prensky: marcprensky.comLearn about orchestrating AI agents for your team:SoundCloud:https://onereach.ai/ai-agents/?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=digital_natives_episode&utm_content=1 YouTube:https://onereach.ai/ai-agents/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=digital_natives_episode&utm_content=1 #AIPodcast#TechPodcast#InvisibleMachines#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #ConversationalAI#AIAgents#TechInsights#DigitalTransformation#TechTalk#Innovation#DigitalNatives#AIInEducation#FutureOfLearning#TechnologyInClassrooms#MarcPrensky#AINatives
With consumer use of AI technology outpacing enterprise adoption, the fear of companies using AI to get rid of employees has been flipped on its head into legitimate threat to the existence of companies as we know them. There’s nothing preventing consumers from using generative tools to disrupt large companies—for example, using a fleet of AI agents to flood and debilitate a call center to take advantage of a promotion. Harsha Gowda and Nitin Bhudia, respectively the CTO and Director of Innovation at Getronics, join Robb and Josh to discuss the risk organizations take by dragging their feet in the race for AI adoption. This conversation explores how organizations can embrace “artificial incompetence” as a necessary initial phase on the course to artificial intelligence, and seed the velocity that will transform their operations. By using AI agents to create an abstraction layer over existing solutions, organizations can take control of their futures.In this episode, we mention:The Invisible Machines episode “Digital Twins in an Agentic World” with Dr. Michael Grieves, the father of Digital Twins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsL3w2bVjmw The TV series “Fawlty Towers”: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072500/ Learn more about Getronics: https://www.getronics.com/ Discover how to succeed with an agentic approach to software: https://onereach.ai/ai-agents/?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ai_and_companies_episode&utm_content=1 #AIPodcast#TechPodcast#InvisibleMachines#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #ConversationalAI#AIAgents#TechInsights#DigitalTransformation#TechTalk#Innovation#GenerativeAI#BusinessStrategy#AIAdoption#OrganizationalAGI
Digital twins are critical to the orchestration of AI agents, providing the context they need to create meaningful experiences quickly and efficiently. Robb and Josh welcome Dr. Michael Grieves for a conversation about the origins of the concept, which he developed while working with NASA in the 2010s.The architecture required for orchestrating AI agents relies on different types of digital twins that may emerge within an organization, touching on physical elements, temporal data, and collections of unstructured data. Dr. Grieves joins the podcast to explore these connections, drawing from his book Product Lifecycle Management as well as his numerous scientific publications. The trio also discusses how something Michael calls “retirementitus” prevents organizations from embracing the sweeping technologies surrounding AI and digital twins.Learn about orchestrating AI agents for your team: https://onereach.ai/ai-agents/?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=digital_twins_episode&utm_content=1 Buy Dr. Michael Grieves’ book: “Product Lifecycle Management: Driving the Next Generation of Lean Thinking”: https://www.amazon.com/Product-Lifecycle-Management-Generation-Thinking/dp/0071452303#AIPodcast#TechPodcast#InvisibleMachines#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #ConversationalAI#AIAgents#TechInsights#DigitalTwins#AIOrchestration#ProductManagement#TechInnovation#DataArchitecture#MichaelGrieves#FutureOfAI#TechTalk
As AI agents continue to alter the way people interface with technology, Robb and Josh were eager to speak with journalist Matt Alston about his popular Business Insider article “Everyone hates Workday.” In this deep exploration of our multifaceted interactions with machines, Matt reminds us that Workday’s UX is different across a whole spectrum of users, and that generally speaking, people don’t like using software. The patterns we follow when operating software end up shaping our thinking, and as we move into a world dominated by conversational interfaces, it’s important to consider the way these systems are intertwined with our minds. Don’t miss this eye-opening episode about the future of project management. Learn more about creating and orchestrating AI agents to streamline your business operations: https://onereach.ai/ai-agents/?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=matt_alston_episode&utm_content=1 Article, “Everybody hates Workday”: businessinsider.com/everyone-hates-workday-human-resources-customer-service-software-fortune-500-2024-5Learn more about Matt Alston: mattalston.com.#AIPodcast#InvisibleMachines#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #ConversationalAI#AIAgents#UXDesign#Workday#ProjectManagement#FutureOfWork#UserExperience#SoftwareDevelopment#TechInsights
As AI agents continue to remake the way we communicate with machines, what will become of SaaS companies? In this episode, Robb and Josh are joined by Janelle Teng, Vice President at Bessemer Venture Partners’ San Francisco office, who recently noted that “2024 has not been kind to SaaS companies” on her Next Big Teng blog. A Stanford scientist and former product manager at Salesforce, Janelle explains why she is bullish on the multi-agent approach to automation. The trio also discuss the ramification of consumer adoption of AI outpacing enterprises and why startups have a clear advantage in this moment.Discover how to design and orchestrate conversational AI agents for your employees and customers:https://onereach.ai/ai-agents/?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=janelle_teng_episode&utm_content=1 Read Jenelle’s insights at nextbigteng.substack.com.#AIPodcast#InvisibleMachines#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #ConversationalAI#AIAgents#SaaS#Automation #TechTrends #Innovation #BusinessStrategy#AIstartups#VC#AIcapital
Sophie Bushwick is a regular contributor to Science Friday on NPR and has previously worked for Scientific American and Popular Science. As the Senior News Editor at New Scientist, she joined Robb and Josh in exploring anthropomorphism and AI. Sophie’s work reminds us that our introduction to pocket computers came with the heavily anthropomorphized Tamagotchi pets of the late '90s. As we head into the era of conversational machines, Sophie brings her insights to a conversation about the pros and cons of making them human-like across a whole range of scenarios, including those geared toward productivity and entertainment. The correlations and similarities between corporations and AI pose both ethical considerations as well as design challenges, and this discussion draws on Sophie’s extensive background in technology reporting to look for answers. Learn about orchestrating conversational AI agents for your team: https://onereach.ai/ai-agents/?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sophie_bushwick_episode&utm_content=1See more of Sophie’s work at sophiebushwick.com#AIPodcast#InvisibleMachines#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #ConversationalAI#AIAgents#TechInnovation#DigitalExperience#TechJournalism#NewScientist#TechEthics #FutureOfAI
We've talked about micro UIs a lot on this podcast, as they are a critical component of AI agents, adding graphical functionalities to an automated conversational experience. Micro UIs let AI agents show users interactive elements—like maps, secure payment interfaces, dynamic graphs, and explainer videos—rather than just describing them.In this episode, we're joined by Cole Gentile, Solutions Designer at OneReach.ai, to demonstrate micro UIs in action.Create and orchestrate conversational AI agents: https://onereach.ai/ai-agents/?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=micro_uis_episode&utm_content=1Number of monthly active WeChat users from 1st quarter 2014 to 1st quarter 2024: https://www.statista.com/statistics/255778/number-of-active-wechat-messenger-accounts"Organizational AGI is Coming — Most Companies Aren’t Prepared," an article by Robb Wilson, Co-Founder and CEO of OneReach.ai and Co-Author of the WSJ bestseller “Age of Invisible Machines”: https://www.intelligentcio.com/north-america/2024/02/28/organizational-agi-is-coming-most-companies-arent-prepared/#AIPodcast#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #MicroUIs#ConversationalAI#AIAgents#UserExperience#AIIntegration#TechInnovation#DigitalExperience#UXDesign#invisiblemachines
There are many lenses through which we can view the world, and that's especially true when considering the technologies associated with artificial intelligence. In this episode, James Bridle, author of Ways of Being, joins to explore a multitude of perspectives relating to our ongoing relationship with technology. James’ book explores the interplay between animals, plants, and machines in the search for planetary intelligence. James offers a broad vision of "thinking" systems that draws from biology, physics, and computation and spurs an investigation of what a corporation is and could become. Robb, Josh, and James have a dynamic discussion, trying on various lenses for viewing intelligence and uncovering new ideas about technology along the way.Learn about orchestrating conversational AI agents for your team:https://onereach.ai/ai-agents?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=intelligence_around_us_episode&utm_content=1Get James' book, Ways of Being (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2022): https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374601119/waysofbeingLearn more about James Bridle and their fascinating work: http://jamesbridle.com#AIPodcast#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #WaysOfBeing #PlanetaryIntelligence #Technology #Innovation #ConversationalAI #MachineLearning #TechDiscussion#AIAgents#invisiblemachines
We're rounding out our deep dive on organizational AGI with Aaron De Smet, a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company who helped identify "The keys to organizational agility" with colleagues back in 2015. As we discussed in our first episode on organizational AGI, agility is a key component to making the journey feasible. Aaron has been exploring organizational AGI for years and connects the dots between organizational longevity and the technologies associated with AI. This conversation examines the ways our very idea of work is steeped in outdated beliefs and strategies from the industrial revolution and how companies that will survive and thrive in this new era will have to reshape themselves.Learn more about how to create and orchestrate AI agents: https://onereach.ai/ai-agents?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=agi_in_organizational_agility&utm_content=1 Jim Collins, BHAG: https://www.jimcollins.com/concepts/bhag.htmlThe Friction Project by Robert I. Sutton and Huggy Rao: https://www.bobsutton.net/book/the-friction-project/To learn more about our bestselling book that began the conversation we continue in this podcast: https://onereach.ai/invisiblemachines/#OAGI#AGI#singularity#LLMs#agile#corporatelongevity#longevity#AIagent#genai#McKinsey#invisiblemachines
We're entering an age when software will be written on-the-fly, by machines, to meet individual needs—an era of ephemeral applications. This will have a massive impact on the emergence of artificial general intelligence (also called AGI or singularity) and Ben Goertzel returns for a lively discussion about the scope of this dawning era. Ben helped to popularize the term singularity and, as the founder and CEO of SingularityNET (https://singularitynet.io/), has long been working to democratize access to artificial intelligence. As he points out in this episode, "AI that can write code, this is the key to the singularity." Packed with food for thought as well as actionable ideas, this is a hard-hitting episode that expands on ideas central to organizational AGI.You can watch this episode on YouTube:https://onereach.ai/ai-agents/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ephemeral_apps_and_agi_episode&utm_content=1To learn more about OAGI and try AI agent demos visit https://onereach.ai/#AI#AIagents#singularity#AGI#OAGI#Goertzel#LLMs#GraphDB
How do AI agents fit into a strategy for increasing a business' longevity? Imagine having a conversational operating system for your organization that was always learning. The advanced orchestration of AI agents can create a broader technology ecosystem that sets a trajectory for organizational AGI. Whereas artificial general intelligence, or AGI, refers to a system of artificial intelligence that meets or surpasses human capabilities across a whole range of cognitive tasks. organizational AGI seeks to create the general intelligence it takes to run vast portions of a business. Robb Wilson, CEO and co-founder of OneReach.ai, coined the term OAGI and is joined by Josh Tyson, andExec Producer Elias Parker for a forward-looking exploration of organizational AGI. Create and orchestrate conversational AI agents: https://onereach.ai/ai-agents/?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=tanmay_bakshi_episode&utm_content=1#AI#AIagents#OAGI#AGI#generativeAI#LLMs#UX#AIproducts#conversationalAI#AIforgood#Skynetnotyet
In April, our co-host Robb Wilson was asked to join Jess Larsen on the Innovation & Leadership podcast to discuss AI agents and taking an agentic approach to workflow automation at an organizational level. As AI agents take center stage, we're reposting this conversation here to spread the word on the pitfalls orgs can avoid—and the best practices they can follow.Robb shares his hard-wrought lessons in AI adoption, including how to foster a culture of innovation by starting small, iterating rapidly, and scaling successfully.You can learn more about taking an agentic approach to automating your workflows and processes from OneReach.ai: https://onereach.ai/ai-agents/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bonus_episode&utm_content=1This episode was originally published by the Innovation and Leadership podcast with Jess Larson. You can find their show wherever you listen to podcasts, or here: https://www.jesslarsen.net/#ai #aiagents #agentic#hyperautomation #agi #singularity #invisiblemachines #innovation #leadership #conversationalai #ux #technology
Tanmay Bakshi is a technology wunderkind. He started coding when he was only four years old and his first iOS app was released just five years later, when he was nine. An autodidact and deeply curious technologist, Tanmay works as an AI and application architect for IBM, where he's been involved with ongoing automation efforts with McDonald's. Tanmay joins Robb and Josh for an exploration of anthropomorphism, user experience, and the flexibility required to succeed with the shifting technologies associated with conversational AI. Don't miss a practical and enlightening discussion with this brilliant young mind.Create and orchestrate conversational AI agents: https://onereach.ai/ai-agents/?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=tanmay_bakshi_episode&utm_content=1
Journey into the innovative mind of Tom Gruber, co-founder of Siri and Chief AI Strategy Officer of Sherpa.ai. Robb and Josh welcome Tom for an enlightening exploration of humanistic AI—systems that augment and collaborate with humans, rather than replacing or competing with them. Using federated machine learning, Tom is working with Sherpa.ai to train advanced generative models on data in ways that maximize privacy and security. This creates opportunities to create safer personalized experiences, which the trio discusses along with exploring the value of designing around use cases related to accessibility.
Greg Vert, Principal and HR Transformation Leader at Deloitte, returns to Invisible Machines to discuss the ways AI agents are changing the way enterprises approach HR. Building on the conversation they had in back in season one—in the wake of OpenAI's release of ChatGPT— Robb and Josh invite Greg to explore how the simple idea of AI as the UI will launch widespread systemic change. They also talk about how intentionality and empathy can foster better automated experiences for employees as large companies move to integrate the technologies associated with conversational AI. Also, learn why, despite their lackluster reputation for experience design, Workday might be in a good position to revitalize UX.
Legendary tech journalist Kara Swisher joins Robb and Josh for a discussion about the early days of Silicon Valley and the shape of things to come. Her Boom Town column in The Wall Street Journal covered the early days of the internet, giving her access to key players like Marc Andreessen, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Sheryl Sandberg, and Mark Zuckerberg. Swisher joins Robb and Josh to share insights from her new memoir, Burn Book, which reveals the tangled relationships between tech's largest power brokers from the vantage point of an embedded reporter. This episode offers brisk contemplations on how AI will impact business and design.
Learn about the inner workings of AI agents by watching conversational experiences in action. Annie Harshberger, Lead Experience Architect at OneReach.ai (https://onereach.ai/) takes Robb and Josh through an interactive demo of AI agents swarming together to automate complex scheduling requests. Annie has designed hundreds of conversational experiences orchestrating generative AI and other tools. Here, she shares insights into the design process as well as the coordinated effort taking place behind the scenes. This episode provides a crucial perspective for anyone trying to understand how AI agents can scale across an organization.
As the second wave of AI-led disruption takes shape, we're seeing and hearing a lot more about AI agents. Analogous to the Intelligent Digital Workers (IDWs) described in Age of Invisible Machines, AI Agents are more complex that they appear and many organizations are discovering that they aren't structured to allow these agents to perform meaningful work. Robb Wilson (CEO and co-founder of OneReach.ai) and Josh Tyson explore the real nature of AI agents, what kinds of technology ecosystems they require, and how organizations can give them real agency. This practical episode also imagines what the proliferation of AI agents means for the future of software.The bestselling book that explores AI agents, or intelligent digital workers (IDWs) at far greater length is Age of Invisible Machines: https://onereach.ai/invisiblemachines/Learn more about how to make AI agents, and play with a playground of AI skills: https://onereach.ai/#ai #aiagents #hyperautomation #conversationalai #podcast #aipodcast #ux #uxdesign #productmanagement #aiproductmanager #aiproducts #aiproductivity #invisiblemachines #googleai #llm #generativeai
Daniel Lametti and Joanna Kuc join Robb and Josh to share the advanced chatbot they created for a research project in mental health. Dan Lametti is an Associate Professor of Cognitive Psychology at Acadia University in Nova Scotia, Canada. Dan taught and conducted research in experimental psychology at the University of Oxford, and is also the Director of Academic Fellowships at OneReach.ai. Joanna is a Data Scientist at Compass Pathways as well as a PhD Candidate in Experimental Psychology at University College London, where her work focuses on decoding language biomarkers relating to mental health. Using the OneReach.ai platform, Daniel and Joanna created a conversational app in Telegram that collects journal entries from participants as either written text or voice notes, and generates weekly summaries. Learn more about this unique design process and some of their findings in an engaging and practical episode of Invisible Machines.
As conversational AI continues to change the nature of UX, we're excited to bring you a practical (and thorough) conversation about hiring design talent with Aaron Cooper, Senior Director of Digital Experience at Banner Health. Aaron has lead the creation of multiple products involving conversational AI at companies like Honeywell and Optum Health, and was generous enough to open up about what he's looking for when hiring design talent and how he makes sure key people within his organization are partners in design. We've also got a special guest host for this episode: Elias Parker, the executive producer of our book, Age of Invisible Machines, and of this podcast. An ethnographer by training, Elias has been working with UX practitioners for more than a decade and has hired over 200 researchers and designers across disciplines.
As the former Chief Knowledge Officer at NASA, Roger Forsgren has a unique understanding of maintaining the administration's renowned gold standard of data management in extremely high-pressure environments. Having worked his way up from a mechanical engineering position with the space administration, Roger joins Robb and guest host Mike Lee for a conversation about the unique rhythms of data organization, retrieval, and maintenance. Exploring ideas from his book "Lean Knowledge Management: How NASA Implemented a Practical KM Program" this is an episode for information science enthusiasts everywhere.
Take a deep dive into the creation of an advanced digital assistant with Jeff McMillan and David Wu of Morgan Stanley. As the Head of AD&I, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management and the Head of Knowledge Management & Generative AI respectively, Jeff and David led the creation of an AI assistant for the global investment firm's advisors. Robb and Josh invite them in for a conversation about the technical work and strategic initiatives that enabled Morgan Stanley to create a knowledge base that's given them a massive leap forward with conversational AI.
Well-known researcher, professor, and author Richard Florida joins Robb and Josh for an expansive conversation about the relationship between cities and innovation. His books include "The Rise of the Creative Class" and "The New Urban Decay," which both explore the multi-layered relationship between people and the cities where creativity becomes innovation. Richard is a sought-after speaker and his strategy firm Creative Class Group works with Meta, Microsoft, WeWork, BMW, Cirque do Soliel, and Google.
Payal Arora is a Professor of Inclusive AI Cultures at Utrecht University and Co-Founder of FemLab. She's also the author of the award-winning "The Next Billion Users" from Harvard Press, and her new book "From Pessimism to Promise: Lessons from the Global South on Designing Inclusive Tech" will be released this fall by MIT Press. Payal joins Robb and Josh for a frank and eye-opening exploration of technology and innovation in the Global South.
As the Global CIO of Zoom, Gary Sorrentino spends a lot of time thinking about how technology can amplify human-to-human collaboration. He joins Robb and Josh for a conversation about the challenges of connecting people in hybrid work environments that are always evolving. As Gary points out, humans are in a joint venture with artificial intelligence, and this episode explores many of the inflection points we need to consider.
Author and UX Legend Greg Nudelman was one of the original guests on In Conversation with UX Magazine over eight years ago. He returns for a rich conversation about the frenzied intersection of UX and AI. Greg has honed his craft as a design lead at GE Digital, Cisco, and eBay and has worked with organizations like IBM, Oracle, Associated Press, and Intuit. He's currently a Distinguished Designer at Sumo and has written numerous books including The $1 Prototype and Designing Search. He joins Robb and Josh to discuss ways that we can iterate faster and further in the age of AI.
As a co-author of the often cited (and debated) Stochastic Parrots paper from 2021, Emily M. Bender is a staunch critic of large language models (LLMs). Having worked in computational linguistics for more than 20 years, Emily's deep understanding of LLM mechanics has her questioning many of the emerging use cases we see in the world. Also, Emily hosts Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000, where, alongside sociologist Dr. Alex Hanna, she breaks down the AI hype, separates fact from fiction, and distinguishes science from bloviation. She joins Robb and Josh for a provocative exploration of generative AI on an important episode of Invisible Machines.
Co-founder of VR technology as we know it Jaron Lanier is also an accomplished musician and artist. As the Prime Unifying Scientist at Microsoft, Jaron rejects the deceptive nature of terms like "AGI" and "decentralization" in favor of a vision of technology that's all about people collaborating with other people. Join Robb and Josh for an episode of Invisible Machines that questions everything.
Daron Acemoglu, Institute Professor of Economics at MIT and co-author of Power and Progress joins Robb and Josh for a deep exploration of the intersection of technology and economics. Daron's work has explored our thousand-year struggle with technology and prosperity and this conversation touches on how we might incentivize the changes that will improve our experiences as a species. There are layers of centralization that we need to think about in the wake of generative AI, and the trio discusses the ways we can challenge the norms associated with our personal data.
For decades, Gloria Mark, PhD, has been studying technology use in real-world environments that she describes as "living laboratories." Her book "Attention Span" looks for ways that we can live with and use technology while maintaining a healthy psychological balance. She joins Robb and Josh for a fascinating conversation about the ways AI might heal some of the damage done by technology and give us space to focus our attention on things that truly matter.You can learn more in Gloria's Substack at gloriamark.substack.com
Lisa Feldman Barrett is a psychologist and neuroscientist whose research puts her among the top 0.1% of most cited scientists in the world. She joins Robb and Josh for a conversation about the true nature of our brains, and how aspects of brain development are already being mirrored by AI models. Lisa holds appointments at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, where she is Chief Science Officer for the Center for Law, Brain & Behavior. She is also a distinguished professor of psychology at Northeastern University, and her real talk about the predictive machines in our heads is captivating food for thought.
As the Principal Product Designer at Slack, RJ Owen has a hand in shaping a communication channel that's come to redefine productivity while setting a trajectory for how team members collaborate in the post-pandemic world. RJ joins Robb and Josh for a deep conversation exploring the many intricacies of decision management and how the future of productivity might reside in swiping right or left. AI is uncannily good at summarizing information, but as this episode explains, the experience of delivering relevant content to users remains a sizable design challenge.
Sarah Gibbons and Kate Moran of Nielsen Norman Group join Robb and Josh for a deep dive at the intersection of UX and AI. As the Vice President of NN/g, Sarah shares insights from a recent exploration of anthropomorphism and generative AI. Kate Moran is VP of Research and Content and has done extensive research into interaction design and digital content. As leaders at one of the vanguard experience design firms, Sarah and Kate help navigate the frenzied intersection of UX and AI.
As the co-founder of Kayak and GetHuman, Paul English has deep insight into the ways technology can bring people closer to what they're actually looking for. Robb and Josh welcome Paul for an exploration of the ways that conversational AI can become the thin UI layer that obscures all of the messy technology cluttering our lives. Having recently co-founded the Applied Artificial Intelligence Institute at UMass Boston, Paul brings his thinking on how generative AI fits into our technology tapestry to a practical conversation about our changing relationship with machines.
Richard Saul Wurman is many things. The creator of the TED conference has also authored scores of books, ranging from revolutionary city guides to a collection of a collection of words by Louis Kahn. Robb and Josh welcomed Richard for a conversation about the LATCH system he devised for organizing information. This early Invisible Machines recording goes to unexpected places as a legendary architect and designer shares his unfiltered thinking on myriad topics.
Author of Good Talk and host of The Conversation Factory podcast, Daniel Stillman shares insights from his journey through user experience research and industrial design into designing conversations between people. Robb and Josh welcome Daniel for an exploration of the composition and quality of conversations between humans. The complexity present in our everyday conversational interactions lays bare how strategic we need to be in designing the ways we speak with machines.
Cathy Pearl has deep roots in conversational design, as the UX Lead on Google Bard and author of Designing Voice User Interfaces (O'Reilly). She joins Robb and Josh for a conversation that explores the changing nature of voice interfaces and the deepening role of experience design. The trio also discusses the ways that conversational AI transcends productivity, potentially improving the quality of our lives in much deeper ways.
AI researcher, author, and VP and Fellow at Google Research, Blaise Agüera y Arcas has contributed to research papers cited more than 20,000 times, including a seminal LaMDA paper from 2022. His new book, Who Are We Now?, explores how biology, ecology, sexuality, history, and culture have intertwined to create a dynamic “us” that's neither natural nor artificial. Blaise joins Robb and Josh for a philosophical exploration of identity, collective intelligence, and the ways AI might put us back into balance with nature. A frequent TED speaker and winner of MIT’s TR35 Prize, Blaise brings the perspective of a deeply forward-thinking researcher to our ongoing conversation about AI.
Despite the complexity and sensitivity innate to financial institutions, Morgan Stanley was able to partner with Open AI to create AI @ Morgan Stanley Assistant. Chief Analytics and Data Officer Jeff McMillan describes it as the most advanced personal assistant in the financial sector and he joins Robb and Josh to talk about the design process, which involved working closely with Sam Altman and the team at OpenAI. Jeff's experiences creating a sophisticated automated solution in a heavily regulated industry offer strategy and inspiration to other organizations hoping to make similar transformations.
Massive amounts of system change are necessary to put AI to work in ways that elevate humanity, and Robb and Josh welcome author and experience designer Sheryl Cababa for a deep discussion of the road ahead. Author of the Rosenfeld Media book, Closing the Loop: Systems Thinking for Designers, Sheryl has worked as an experienced designer at Phillips, Adaptive Path, and Frog and is currently the Chief Strategy Officer at Substantial. Her insights into the important convergence between systems thinking and experience design come at a critical moment when the rapid advancement of technology calls for sober consideration of how we can improve the many systems that make of the world we live in.
In a moment when unprecedented amounts of money are flowing toward projects involving AI, Robb and Josh welcome Jake Saper for a lively exploration of the VC mindset. Since 2003, Emergence Capital has invested in companies collectively worth $450B+, including Salesforce, Box, Yammer, and Zoom. As a General Partner, Jake has embraced the transformative power of generative AI. This conversation explores many different ways these technologies are impacting investor thinking as software becomes cheaper and easier to create.
Robb and Josh welcome Brad Stulberg for a deep conversation about how humans can best respond to the massive changes AI is thrusting upon us. As the bestselling author of Master of Change, Stulberg has explored the cycle of order, disorder, and reorder, and he shares the principles for developing a rugged flexibility mindset—which applies to both personal well-being and AI integration. A former McKinsey consultant and regular contributor to the New York Times, Brad is a professor at the University of Michigan and a sought-after speaker.
Robb and Josh welcome Cammy Crolic for an enlivening discussion of hedonic escalation and anthropomorphization. As a professor at Oxford's Saïd Business School, Cammy's research into how human-like bots affect consumer behavior has been featured in the Wall Street Journal. She is currently exploring human perception around AI-generated content.
Robb and Josh welcome Ben Goertzel for a deep exploration of the narrow AIs we are quickly growing accustomed to and our fraught transition to artificial general intelligence, or singularity. As the founder and CEO of SingularityNET, Ben has been working to democratize access to artificial intelligence through decentralization. He's also a leader of both the OpenCog Foundation and the AGI Society, having helped to popularize the term 'artificial general intelligence'. Topics in this episode include balancing design near-term design concerns—like anthropomorphization—against more consequential issues, such as who will control these systems and how they will interact with humanity.
Robb and Josh welcome David Bingham for an exploration of design and conversational AI, from our homes, to our workplaces, to industrial settings. David is a senior experience design executive who’s held positions at GE and Workday and is currently Director of User Experience at Schneider Electric (named one of Fortune’s Most Desirable Companies four years running and deemed the world’s most sustainable company in 2021). The trio discusses the uncanny valley in conversational AI, the true shape and purpose of digital twins, and updating CRUD (adding "seek" to create, read, update, and delete).
Robb and Josh welcome industry veteran Yoav Shoham for a thoughtful examination of the inner-workings of AI. As the co-founder of AI21 labs and a former professor in the Computer Science Department of Stanford University, Yoav has a rich history of working with these technologies and thinking through some of their more profound applications. This thoughtful discussion examines just how much the ways we live and work might begin to change as we become further intertwined with AI.
Robb and Josh welcome Shep Hyken for a conversation about the evolution of customer experience and the role AI will take in moving it forward. As a sought-after keynote speaker and the bestselling author of numerous books, including "Be Amazing or Go Home," Shep has a deep understanding of what companies are up against when it comes to creating truly dynamic experiences. This lively discussion explores those constraints as well as the massive possibilities new technologies have unlocked.
Robb and Josh welcome food futurist Mike Lee for a sprawling and fascinating exploration of the surprisingly similar worlds of food safety and technology regulation. As the founder of The Future Market, a consultancy in food innovation and strategy, Mike's investigations into the food industry led to hands-on work with generative AI. This conversation provides forward thinking in how we might regulate the unpredictable and now ubiquitous generative tools flooding into all industries and aspects of life.
Robb and Josh welcome Cassie Kozyrkov, Google's First Chief Decision Scientist, for a conversation about the limitations of data and the need to put a face on technology. Cassie is now CEO of Data Scientific and helped shape the technology all around us, and this far-ranging discussion of conversational AI examines the composition of the technologies that go into artificial intelligence, the ways we can use technology to help people make better quality decisions, and why we should look for opportunities to automate "thunking" moments.
Robb and Josh welcome renowned publisher and information architect Lou Rosenfeld for a conversation that gets into the roots of experience design, while exploring the full bloom of generative AI. Running Rosenfeld Media for nearly two decades has given Lou incredible insights into the publishing world as well as UX, which most Rosenfeld titles explore in specific ways. This great conversation brings lessons from the past to the fore as we race ahead with technology.
Robb and Josh welcome Jenna Fizel (Senior Director, Emerging Technology) and Danny DeRuntz (Executive Design Director) of IDEO for a practical exploration of building conversational experiences focusing on their creation, Lotbot. The conversation branches out into the many facets of digital twins, the languages machines might use to communicate with each other, and the blurring edges between bots and brands.
Robb and guest-host Michael Salamon have a conversation with Don Scheibenreif, Vice President, Distinguished Analyst with Gartner's Customer Experience research group. As the co-author of When Machines Become Customers, Don provides insights into the logistical and trust issues that arise as machines begin buying things on behalf of humans.
Robb and Josh jump into a philosophical but ultimately pragmatic discussion of conversational AI with Tim Wood, Principal Designer for AI and AI Platforms at Amazon Web Services. A veteran designer well-steeped in the waves of technology that have shaped our modern world, Tim shares ideas surrounding anthropology, anthropomorphism, systemic change, real-world implementation, and unwelcome outcomes.
Robb and Josh welcome digital transformation expert and bestselling author Charlene Li for a conversation about the trajectory technology has taken over the last 20 years and how decision-makers need to reframe their expectations and goals as generative AI continues to transform the marketplace. The explosive power of LLMs to enhance the experience of writing and providing thought leadership also comes to the fore as well in this far-reaching discussion of AI.
Robb and Josh enjoy a vigorous conversation with Emmy-winning investigative travel journalist Peter Greenberg. His reporting on the broken experiences and deceitful practices heaping ruin on the travel and hospitality industry reveal opportunities for the technologies associated with AI to make sweeping and meaningful improvements. The catch: these changes will require systemic change, which will be an uphill battle to say the least.
Robb and Josh have a philosophical conversation about art, creativity, and perception with Laura Herman of the University of Oxford. As a tool for creating, generative AI is changing the way we think about art what constitutes artistry. The artistic process will always require human hands and human input, as a piece of art isn't really finished until someone experiences it. Covering synesthesia, UX research, and possible outcomes for the heightened levels of technology intertwined in our daily lives, this discussion provides ample food for thought.
Robb and Josh go deep on a conversation with Dr. Jim Webber, Chief Scientist at Neo4j, about the convergence of large language models (LLMs) and graphDB. Popularized by Neo4j, graphDB creates a relational database that connects individual data points (or nodes) accross a network of information. LLMs are capable of doing real work and providing more reliable responses when they are given context. GraphDBs can leverave all types of data across and organization to provide that context and elevate operations to new heights. This is an exciting discussion about the future of data that will captivate scientists and designers alike. 203508
Robb and Josh take a deep dive into technology and healthcare with Leroy Hood, MD, PhD (Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of ISB) and Nathan Price, PhD (Chief Scientific Officer of Thorne HealthTech), auhtors of The Age of Scientific Wellness. Hood played a pivotal role in the Human Genome Project and he and Price have uncovered the ways that science and technology can move us toward 4P medicine that is predictive, personalized, preventive, and participatory. Together, hosts and guests unlock new opportunities for conversational AI to move us closer to much more effective and personal healthcare.
With MosaicML acquired last week for 1.3 Billion, we rushed to get you an episode we've been working on with Mosaic's Chief Scientist, Jonathan Frankle. It's here and the episode is packed with a lot of practical thinking and perspective on the incredible work they're doing at Mosaic. Robb, Josh and Jonathan Frankle have a fun and useful conversation for anyone who's just wrapping their head around implementing LLMs, or those already deep in the trenches.
Robb and Josh welcome inventor, entrepreneur, and researcher Adam Cheyer for a conversation about the long road leading up to the breakthrough ChatGPT moment. As one of the co-creators of Siri, Adam shares stories from his time at Apple, including a memorable design debate with Steve Jobs that he wishes he'd won. This is a fascinating exploration of conversational AI with two innovators who have been working with this technology for decades—both Robb and Adam have extensive backgrounds in the field.
For the season one finale, Robb and Josh welcome legendary researcher, professor, and author Don Norman. His book "The Design of Everyday Things" helped define the parameters of human centered design, and his new book "Design for a Better World: Meaningful, Sustainable, Humanity Centered" expands the process to account for the global ecosystem our designs call home. Don shares powerful insights into the ways design and technology continue to shape our lives, including ideas on the fundamental shortcomings of the term "artificial intelligence."Intro music, "Nitro Reign" by Elias Earl
Robb and Josh welcome conversation designer Rebecca Evanhoe for a discussion about the detailed work of creating meaningful conversational experiences. Rebecca is co-author of "Conversations with Things" (Rosenfeld Media) and teaches courses at Pratt Institute on UX writing and conversational design. Here, she shares insights into the nature of writing, the application of technology like ChatGPT, and the powerful instances of co-creation happening all around us.
Robb and Josh have a thought-provoking conversation with Tim O'Reilly, the founder and CEO of O'Reilly Media, whose Global Network Navigator site was the first web portal and commercial site on the Internet. Tim adds perspective to this unique moment in history, having been an integral part of the emergence of the World Wide Web. The three also dig into ideas surrounding the regulation of technologies associated with AI.
Robb and Josh welcome bestselling author and entrepreneur Seth Godin for a conversation about ideas from his new book, The Song of Significance. They explore how imperative it is that we rethink our relationship with productivity and actively find ways to make “work” more rewarding.
Robb and Josh welcome futurist, author, and sought-after speaker Theo Priestley to the conversation. Together they discuss the proactive nature of futurism, the ways technology might change our concept of work, and how we have the tools and sheer numbers to instigate real positive change.
Robb and Josh welcome Anna Yankovska and Helen Peklo, who helped bring an idea Robb had about companies and their surrounding communities to life. HUMANS, Coffee in Tech is a cafe on the first floor of OneReach.ai headquarters in Kyiv, Ukraine. Team members get their daily caffeine fix here, but it's also open to the broader community, and has become a dependable bright spot in people's lives on the front lines of an ongoing war. HUMANS is unique in that there is no hierarchy among the baristas. Managerial duties and other tedious tasks are handled by Hugh, an intelligent digital worker created using the OneReach.ai platform. This is an exciting episode that explores the litany of ways a modest coffee shop is pushing the boundaries of technology and organizational structures.
Robb and Josh spend time exploring the digital twin concept, as it applies to both individuals and organizations. ChatGPT and similar generative AI tools have added new wrinkles to the process of creating and leveraging digital twins, and this episode outlines a path forward for technological transformation.67TDYSloi9MuusxHvsRn
Robb and Josh welcome special guests Julie Shah and Ben Armstrong, authors of the recent HBR article "A Smarter Strategy for Using Robots." Ben Armstrong is the executive director and a research scientist at MIT’s Industrial Performance Center. Julie Shah is the H.N. Slater Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT. Together, they co-lead the Work of the Future initiative. Their discussion covers the parallels and overlap between the design and implementations of invisible machines and tangible ones.
Robb and Josh welcome special guest Ovetta Sampson for a rousing discussion about the relationship between experience design and the technologies associated with artificial intelligence.
Robb and Josh welcome special guest Guido Baratta, Chief Design Officer for icon incar. A lifelong student and teacher of design, Guido shares insights into the world of automotive UX. The three discuss the ways AI will change our relationship to transportation and why cars might soon just be one of many robots in our lives.
Robb and Josh discuss the work of conversational designers as generative AI continues to reshape the world.
Robb and Josh welcome special guest Jesse James Garrett, legendary information architect and sought-after executive leadership coach. The three discuss the need for experience design in AI and how to get designers to the table.
Robb and Josh talk about the changing nature of experience design as conversational AI becomes a fundamental part of the technology we encounter daily.
Robb and Josh welcome special guest Greg Vert, a leader in Deloitte Consulting LLP’s Human Capital practice. Topics include digital transformation at enterprise level, the impact of ChatGPT on AI adoption, and the wisdom of starting automation journeys internally.
Robb and Josh talk about the elevated levels of risk and experimentation required to move hyperautomation forward.
Robb and Josh talk about the ways conversational AI can transcend our app-cluttered professional and personal lives—bringing us closer to technology by obscuring the messiness happening behind the scenes.
Robb and Josh talk about the ways generative AI and hyperautomation might change the way we think about productivity and our relationship to work.
Microsoft 365’s new workplace analytics joins a handful of invasive surveillance apps, trading trust for a potential boost in productivity.
When an old coffee grinder stops working properly, it endears itself to the author by seemingly trying to get itself going again—revving its motor as he continually presses the start button until it gets back up to regular grinding speed. This affords a potent little design lesson: sometimes a product’s shortcomings create opportunities to bond with a user.
In the case of conversational design, a chatbot or intelligent digital worker (IDW) can make overt attempts to solve problems outside its abilities, just to let a customer know that it’s trying its best to help. Even though the IDW can’t deliver the desired outcome, before it passes the interaction on to a human agent, it can create an enduring sense of empathy that will carry forward
We talk with Alan Cooper about skateboarding, fatherhood, design, ethics, and the responsibility that comes with getting our seat at the table.
We talk with Joe Natoli, enterprise UX consultant and author of the new book, Think First: My No-Nonsense Approach to Creating Successful Products, Memorable User Experiences and Happy Customers.
We talk with Greg Nudelman, mobile design strategist and author of the new book, The $1 Prototype.
We talk with Sergio Nouvel—co-founder of Continuum in Lima, Peru—about his controversial UX Magazine article "Why Web Design is Dead"
We talk with Dan Ward—author of The Simplicity Cycle—about R2D2, design for dentistry, and why simplicity isn't the point
We talk with information architect Alberta Soranzo about mountains of data, mixtapes, and the digital legacy you leave behind.