Conversational AI Interview on “Behind The Bots”

In college I worked at the Helpdesk answering questions over the phone about different tech problems for professors and my classmates. I found the tricky problems engaging, but there was a lot of repetition to that job. I now work in the field of Conversational AI, building the tools and experiences I wish I had back at the Helpdesk. Contact center automation is a curious space with various ethical dilemmas and “what-if” scenarios that are indicative to generative AI.

Teaching Machines to Groove

A good conversation is like a dance, and we’re teaching machines to groove.

Replicant has found success not only for our technological excellence, but a deep focus on the aesthetics and ethics of Voice AI. We’ve assembled a truly amazing team of artists, scholars, technologists, linguists, musicians, and scientists to craft the future of great conversations.

Interested? Drop me a line.

The $50 Billion Trip to Australia

On a brisk evening in Oakland, CA I had just finished dinner and was heading to the kitchen for a glass of wine when my phone rang unexpectedly. On the other end was Chris Dixon, the man who had recruited me to Hunch and negotiated the sale of the company to eBay for $80 million. He had a special mission, if I chose to accept it, involving a secretive adventure to Australia with a hand-picked team to re-invent the ailing eBay brand and website. The concept was simple: give users the ability to follow sellers, buyers, and product categories the way you can follow people and brands on Facebook and Twitter.

Hackers and Musicians Rock “Music Hack Day”

While most of America was home watching the Grammys, hundreds of sleep-deprived hackers, musicians, record label execs, and members of the press from around the globe were packed into the main room of GeneralAssemb.ly where teams were presenting 48-hour hacks that clicked, beeped, tweeted, and screamed at Music Hack Day NYC.

This, the 12th incarnation of Music Hack Day (brainchild of SoundCloud’s Dave Haynes) featured over 70 teams hacking around the clock on more than 20 APIs offered by a flock of cutting-edge startups (including my own beloved Hunch API, presented via Emacs).

Stranger in a strange land

This February, aside from being Black History and Library Lovers month, marks my entrance into NYC and a new career. After working as a consultant for the recommendations startup hunch.com for a few years, I have finally joined the superstar team as a full-time code ninja. If you have not used the site before I suggest you give it a try.