Voice Tech Podcast: Master AI for B2B Audio Content Marketing in 2025

Five different french audio startups explain what their companies’ missions are as they’re interviewed at the Vivatech 2021 mega-conference in Paris, France.One french company that stood out was Cogneed, which focuses on the power of AI specifically when it comes to Inside Sales, Customer Care & Sales Development Reps, assisting them with dynamic display of relevant information, triggered by audio detection.Then comes Storyfox, a video interview tool that companies can use to create structured interviews using templates. This could especially be beneficial for companies that are looking to hire new employees as it makes the process much quicker.Next, we interview Playplay, an online video editing tool that allows anyone to create videos easily, as videos are the main form of content that users consume. It also has a new feature that can be used to create videos for podcasts including automated motion design and automatic subtitles.Afterwards, we learn all about Sonup, a startup that’s based in Montpellier. It’s an innovative and reliable solution for healthcare professionals wishing to offer their patients a hearing assessment service. They explain why their solution is important for people with hearing problems.Last but not least, we get to know Odiho, a company that provides sound to soundless advertising, such as video billboards. People can scan the QR code on the ad to watch the video with sound on their cellphones.Listen to the full episode to get the answers to all of your burning questions!Links from the show:VivaTech CogneedStoryfoxPlayplaySonupOdihoSponsors:Manning books

6/24/21 • 46:20

Hans van Dam is the CEO of Conversation Design Institute, a company that teaches a human-centric workflow to conversation design which has proven itself in organisations around the world. This is Hans’s second appearance on the show, the first one being in episode 51 back in January.Hans explains what exactly conversation design means and focuses on its importance regarding conversational AI technologies. He shares his vast experience with training conversation designers at CDI, in order to successfully automate conversations in 2021. CDI’s Conversation Design Festival is coming up on June 15th. Attendees will learn from AI Trainers, Conversation Designers and Conversational Copywriters who will share their professional experiences and give advice on optimizing AI assistants like chatbots and voice assistants.We hope to see you at the Conversation Design Festival on June 15th. Grab a ticket now using our discount code!Links from the show:Conversation Design Festival

6/7/21 • 58:41

Jaime Bosch is the co-founder CEO of Voicemod, a massively popular real-time voice manipulation, augmentation & soundboard application for Windows PC. He is joined by Alex Bordanova, Director of Audio Experience at Voicemod.Based in Valencia, Spain, Voicemod has amassed over 17 million registered users & is the number one choice to create a unique & powerful sonic identity, whether it’s for gaming, content creation, dungeon-mastering, or just hanging out with friends online.We hear samples of a range of voice changing effects made by Voicemod & discuss the applications of these in various industries. We also dive into the challenges of real-time audio programming & hear about the lessons learned while building this awesome voice startup.Links from the show:VoicemodDownload Voicemod for freeVoicemod on YoutubeVoicemod is hiring! hiring@voicemod.netCyberpunk voicemod pack - ScreenRantDark Vader voice - LifeHackerVoicemod raises 8 million - VentureBeatVoicemod on Windows CentralThe Golden Rules of Audio Programming, Pete GoodliffeFabian Renn-Giles & Dave Rowland - Real-time 101Dave Rowland - Real-time Tradeoffs in Audio ProgrammingValerio Velardo TutorialsSponsors:Manning books

5/18/21 • 27:53

Muddu Sudhakar is the CEO of Aisera, the world’s first solution to use Conversational AI and Conversational RPA to transform the Service Desk in the Enterprise.We discuss how enterprises are using Aisera’s A.I. to automate and auto-resolve service desk requests from both employees and customers.  Muddu predicts that service desk tools will be used less over the coming years, to be replaced by self-service AI-powered Conversational platforms on collaboration tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Slack.Links from the show:AiseraAisera Press ReleasesAisera Case StudiesSponsors:Manning books

5/4/21 • 13:41

Marco Liuni is the co-founder and audio miner at Alta Voce, a research-backed startup based in Paris, France that shapes the emotions in human and artificial voices to enhance communication.Their product, Alta Call, is a voice transformation technology for contact centers, improving both the clarity of speech and enhancing the smile in the voice. Marco explains how their tech works, and we hear samples of audio that have been transformed.We also cover some of the ethical issues of transforming human voice, and how they are tackling this in the product. Marco shares his advice for newcomers to the field of speech transformation, and some of his recommended reading.Links from the show:Alta Voce (alta-voce.tech)IRCAMItalo Calvino - Invisible CitiesReinventing Organisations - Frederic LalouxVoice Tech Podcast - Pablo Arias, Smiles in the VoiceSponsors:Manning books

4/6/21 • 39:33

Christian Mahnke is CEO of EarReality, which helps some of the biggest companies in the world such as Disney, Audible, and Vox create interactive stories for voice marketing. Their stories are published on Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Samsung Bixby and more.Christian shares some of his best practices for interactive voice writers, including why it's important to write characters that people identify with. EarReality is set for success with the upcoming launch of Twist, their interactive storytelling tool for voice technology. Find out more by giving this episode a listen!Recorded asynchronously on Rumble StudioLinks from the show:EarRealitykontakt@ear-reality.deIron FalconLinkedIn l Christian Mahnke Amazon Alexa Games Skill Challenge Winners Announced for Europe l Voicebot.ai (1st prize)EarReality wants to help storytellers find their voice l Bixby DevelopersWhy Obsidian uses AI voices for game development l SonanticTWIST - TutorialsYouTube PlaylistSponsors:Manning books

3/23/21 • 55:18

Christian Petroske is President of Shoutworks, a new Wordpress plugin that lets you publish content to Amazon Alexa with the push of a button. ShoutWorks lets you send notifications through Amazon Alexa, with a 90 percent plus open rate. This helps publishers grow their audience, get more leads, and boost sales in a few clicks.In this episode, Christian and host Carl Robinson discuss the Shoutworks Wordpress plugin, what it is, and how it helps you create an Alexa skill in just one click. Christian also discusses why the pandemic is a good time to launch a voice start-up, and what’s currently holding the voice tech industry back. Christian discusses why his team took a template-first approach, and the benefits to developers and end-users. Voice Tech finds out what Christian believes is holding back the voice industry right now, along with why launching a voice startup during a pandemic is a very smart move! This sophisticated Shoutworks plugin allows smaller publishers to use the content from their blog, and then through the plugin send notifications to Alexa seamlessly. Until now, this accessibility has only been available to larger publishers, including NPR, Coca-Cola, because megabrands such as these can spend thousands of dollars on creating Alexa skills. This has allowed big-name brands to drive significant traffic to their Wordpress sites via Shoutworks. Shoutworks’ goal is to democratize access to Amazon Alexa. It is super easy to use, and takes away the expensive and time-intensive aspects of building an Alexa skill. The real problem Shoutworks is solving is for small businesses and entrepreneurs to build an audience and drive engagement over this new voice tech medium. With voice tech, businesses definitely have less competition, and the possibilities for deeper engagement are actually greater. Shoutworks is changing the playing field for smaller publishers with limited resources, opening up new opportunities for massive engagement. Links from the show:Shoutworks.comShoutworks.com/affiliate Sponsors:Manning books

11/30/20 • 39:31

Simon Landry is the founder of Voice Market Data, a service that makes voice market data more accessible to voice developers. We discover how a macro view of the Alexa marketplace can help us measure app success in different markets, spot new product opportunities and feature ideas, and highlight discoverability issues.Simon’s extensive academic background has given him a unique ability to unearth rich data, and present it in an accessible format that can be understood by all. This is a fascinating look at the true nature of the Amazon Alexa marketplace and makes for essential listening for all voice app developers and creators.Links from the show:Voice Market DataSimon Landry on LinkedInSimon’s book: The Science of Conversational DesignSimon et Guy Cours en FrancaisEmpathy EnginePoop Detective Alexa SkillAlexa in Canada Podcast with SimonSponsors:Rumble StudioManning books

11/2/20 • 36:28

This episode was created by Roger Kibbe, senior developer evangelist for Viv Labs/Samsung, for the Bixby Developers Chat podcast. Roger interviewed me, Carl Robinson, about my new project, Rumble Studio. It’s an innovative new tool for recording podcasts and audio content asynchronously; and yes, we used Rumble Studio to record this podcast!Here’s what Roger wrote in the original podcast description:We discuss how Carl got involved in podcasting and what he has learned 70+ podcasts in. Carl gives some very valuable advice for both beginning podcasters and more experienced podcasters.We then discuss Rumble Voice, the innovative new way to record podcasts and other audio content. Using Rumble Voice, the questions and answers (host and guest) can be recorded asynchronously. This podcast was recorded using Rumble Studio and I recorded all of the questions from my home office in Walnut Creek, California at my leisure. Carl recorded his answers from Paris, France at his leisure. Rumble studio takes care of the logistics and then stitching everything together at the end. It's truly a different way of creating audio content like podcasts.We discuss the high costs/effort required to create quality audio content and how Rumble Studio was created to alleviate this problem. We also discuss how Rumble Studio unlocks creating short-form audio which can be recombined into new content and the exciting possibilities for web search engines to index audio content.We finish by discussing the state of the voice industry. What is working right now and what needs improvement. And where voice can go.Roger gives a short 2-minute review of Rumble Studio at the end of the podcast. Links from the show:Rumble Studio - https://rumble.studio/Rumble Studio LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/rumble-studio/All Bixby Developers Chat Episodes available at:bixbydev.buzzsprout.com/Carl Robinson - Twitter: @VoiceTechCarlCarl Robinson - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlrobins0n/Voice Tech Podcast - https://voicetechpodcast.com/More about Bixby:Samsung Bixby is a next-generation, AI platform that enables developers to build rich voice and conversational AI experiences for the Bixby Marketplace, and Bixby devices including phones, watches, televisions, smart appliances, and more.Bixby Developers Homepage - https://bixbydevelopers.com/Bixby Developers Github - https://github.com/bixbydevelopersBixby Developers YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/c/bixbydevelopersBixby Developers Twitter - twitter.com/BixbyDevelopersBixby Developers Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BixbyDevelopers/Find us here:WebsiteApple PodcastsSpotifyYouTubeDiscordLinkedInXRedditPatreoncarl@voicetechpodcast.com ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

10/12/20 • 59:09

Design Sprint was greeted by Jake Knapp, and the idea is to build and test a prototype in only five days. A small team works for a week to rapidly progress from problem to tested solution, using a proven step-by-step checklist. Jake describes it as fast-forwarding into the future so you can see how customers react before you invest all the time and expense of building a real product. The Design Sprint is a method that has been adopted across digital industries to make better product designs in a faster period of time. The sprint goes from a challenge to a prototype for users. The sprint has strength in the fact that it allows input from users from the very start, and the intense period of everyone working together inevitably results in success.Maaike has been consulting in voice since the beginning. At the start there were challenges because no one knew how much artificial intelligence could do for voice technology. Next, everyone had diverse ideas and team alignment around projects was difficult. Not everyone had the same knowledge, and there was not enough user knowledge. Because of these challenges, Maaike began to look at the methodology around team alignment and speed. That’s where Design Sprint came into play. Maaike Coppens began doing some Design Sprint and quickly saw it solved a lot of problems, but it did not solve the learning gap or learning gap for participants when it came to artificial intelligence. The Voice X Design Sprint was borne of these different elements. It is platform-agnostic and takes into account all different variations and domains voice can be a part of. Voice X Design Sprint leverages what voice technology is about, so that people can not only understand with their mind what voice technology is about, what users are experiencing with their brand. Voice X embodies these things through serious plan, through role play.Links from the show:Greenshoot LabsMaaike CoppensMaaike Coppens on LinkedInStephane Crouchon, founder, Design SprintHeidi Culbertson - Promptful.aiBecome a Voice Tech ProcomGM VoicesSponsors:Voice of Money 2020 Conference

9/28/20 • 71:19

Imagine if voice technology could be used to diagnose diseases! This could be a reality if voice tech is used to identify non-speech sounds, such as coughs. This focus is of particular interest at the moment as the world’s governments rally resources to protect populations against COVID-19. This is one area of focus for this week’s guest, Prof. Ami Moyal, President, Afeka Tel Aviv College of Engineering, Israel. Prof. Ami also talks about the future of voice technology and what we should be teaching children for them to be successful in the world. Teaching is the main function of Afeka, but it does focus on research and applied research, in collaboration with industry. This stimulates a culture of creativity. The Afeka Centre for Language Processing has been researching the use of speech processing and artificial intelligence algorithms for providing a quick and readily available pre-diagnostic assessment of COVID-19 infection, without the need for human intervention. When it comes to a rapidly spreading virus such as COVID-19, with millions of potential carriers amongst the global population, it is essential to identify likely carriers of the virus at the early stage of infection in order to prioritize testing efforts and break the chain of transmission. Among the earliest symptoms of COVID-19 are vocal cord edema and vocal cord infection. These affect vocal cord patterns. Afeka is modelling samples of speech, coughing and breathing, from both symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers, to compare with models taken with health subjects. Afeka is also modeling vocalization of subjects that tested negative for COVID-19, yet are exhibiting similar symptoms. This will allow the differentiation between someone who is a carrier, and someone who is not.Prof. Ami says that people were initially hesitant about using voice commands. But this perception has changed, even for simple voice commands. In the not-so-distant-future, we will be able to communicate with any object or machine using our voice. Machines will be able to communicate with humans, using simulated voices.Taking Afeka’s COVID-19 research a step further, Prof. Ami says he imagines one day that our voices will be analyzed continuously by our cell phones, which will notify us in real time when to go and see a doctor, because it has discovered a change in our voice that may result in an ailment.Google, Amazon, and Facebook have defined speech recognition as a strategic goal. This will lead to major advances in the use of speech recognition. Eventually, we will be able to communicate freely with any device, whether it’s our mobile phone, refrigerator, robot, or our car.For content producers, they must think about how they are producing content for the search algorithms of the future. Searches will be instigated through voice recognition.Looking to the future, we need to equip children with both the skills and the knowledge to use speech recognition technology. The current generation must be able to analyze data, and be able to solve unpredictable problems. Links from the show:Afeka Tel Aviv College of EngineeringDr. Ami Moyal on LinkedInVoices.comGM VoicesSponsors:Digital Book World 2020 Conference

9/15/20 • 19:44

Today on the show, we welcome Jason Croyle, the Director of Partnerships at Speak2Web, and Dr. Saksham Sharda, the Creative Director at Outgrow, to talk about interactive websites and website marketing through conversational interaction.In this episode, we learn more about the features of both the Speak2Web and Outgrow platforms and how they differ. Speak2Web helps customers create an integrative web and voice experience, whereas Outgrow is focused more on interactive content for your website (think calculators, quizzes, and chatbots). We discuss how you can improve customer experience and accessibility with voice interactivity, and debate whether talking to a desktop or a website will eventually be a thing of the future! On the tech side, we get stuck into the effect of voice applets and widgets on conversion rates, SEO, as well as the importance of gamification in the information age. Speaking with a website is not something that most of us are 100% familiar with just yet, and this episode offers a unique glimpse into the future of the web.Links from the show:Speak2Web

8/31/20 • 60:52

When we talk about the way that AI will shape the future, there are such polarized beliefs, with one camp fearing it and the other vehemently dismissing these fear-filled claims. Today’s guest, Byron Reese, believes that these opposing views stem from fundamentally different world views. Byron is the former CEO of Gigaom, a well-respected technology publication and tech research company that writes about trends and tech that business leaders need to know about and understand. He is also a prolific author, host of the Voices in AI podcast, and futurist. This episode covers a wide range of topics, and we kick off by delving into the world of voice tech. As Byron has used many of these platforms, numerous questions have come to the surface for him. We ponder whether our interactions with these technologies may spill over into our daily human to human communication as well as how these platforms may corrode human rights. From there, the discussion moves to whether we, as humans, are machines. As a question Byron asks all his podcast guests, he feels that the reductionist answers he frequently hears do not account for the inexplicable ways our humanity manifests itself. Then, we discuss Byron’s book, The Fourth Age, where he unpacks how this technological period will ultimately shape history. He delves into why the advent of speech, agriculture, and the invention of writing and the wheel, were historical turning points, which depart from the obvious reasons people may think. After this, we get into the hotly contested AI vs jobs debate. Byron’s insights into why the proliferation of this technology will not result in net job losses are refreshing and backed by historical data. Looking at the jobs technology destroys alone does not account for the opportunities created. We round the show off with Byron discussing the importance of following your passion, why the ability to learn new things is the most important skill we have, and what’s in store for him. Be sure to listen to this extra-special episode!Links from the show:Byron ReeseByron Reese on TwitterThe Fourth AgeTake the Robot Jobs TestSponsors:Voice Connected Business EU conference

8/17/20 • 56:08

Aside from having an excellent product, one of the best ways to foster adoption is by building community support early on. One company that has reaped the rewards of taking this approach, is Rasa, an open-source, natural language understanding framework that helps companies build mission-critical contextual assistants, and its co-founder and CTO, Alan Nichol, joins us today. We kick this episode off by learning more about Rasa’s mission to become the no-brainer technology for building conversational AI. They are achieving this through their relentless commitment to community, developer empowerment, and by what Alan calls a ‘no fairy-dust attitude.’ Building conversational AI is not easy, which is why Rasa is inviting developers along for the journey. From there, we move onto why Alan believes it’s important to get products in front of users at soon as you can. Rather than waiting for full development, if you get what you can into people’s hands and let them use it, the feedback will be much richer, culminating in a better outcome. We then move into discussing the benefits of open-source. There are almost an infinite number of advantages according to Alan, from increased innovation surface area to the ability to squeeze out extra performance. However, the financial realities are important, and we discuss how Rasa’s enterprise products fulfill these needs. We round the show off by diving into the five levels of conversational AI and where we currently are, why intents are hindering the scalability of these products, and what’s in the pipeline for Rasa. Links from the show:Alan Nichol on LinkedInAlan Nichol on TwitterAlex Weidauer on LinkedInRasaRasa EnterpriseUniversity of CambridgeDockerElasticsearchJovoRachael TatmanRachael Tatman on LinkedInEddy TravelsGitSponsors:Manning books

8/4/20 • 57:58

Brand recognition has long been about logos, taglines, and advertising campaigns, but what if you could use a voice that sounded like your brand to add another level of brand awareness? This is one of the many interesting services ReadSpeaker, an innovative text-to-speech company offers, and its founder and CTO, Niclas Bergström, joins us today. In this episode, we learn more about the company and the variety of products they offer. From web-based SaaS solutions for management and educational systems to hyper-customized voices for brands, their solutions can be deployed to any hardware ranging from embedded systems to high-capacity servers on their cloud. From there, we dive into what it takes to build a voice for brands. There are so many characteristics that make voices what they are, which is why brands and ReadSpeaker need to have a common understanding of what makes a voice what it is. As the industry evolves, so too do the expectations of what a synthetic voice can do, and while people have become much more accepting of them, it’s still important to realize their limitations. We discuss these constraints along with when to use a human voice over a synthetic one. From there, we dive into what the tech giants are doing in the space, and why Niclas believes that small companies will lead the innovation charge rather than the last players. We round the show off by talking about the future of the industry generally as well as for ReadSpeaker specifically, and there are some big things on the horizon.Links from the show:ReadSpeakerNiclas Bergstöm on LinkedInBecome a Voice Tech ProVoices.comGM VoicesSponsors:Digital Book World 2020 Conference

7/20/20 • 56:53

This is a special bonus episode recorded on the new Rumble Studio audio platform that I’ve created. Rumble Studio is a conversational A.I. SaaS for businesses to plan, record, publish and distribute audio for content marketing, and in a fraction of the time it takes today. The conversations are recorded asynchronously, so I’ve coined the new term, BotcastTM.The very first BotcastTM to be published on the Voice Tech Podcast is with Rabbi Elijah C Dordek! Elijah (Elie) is the founder of ShanenLi, an app that uses speech recognition to create personal tutor for text based tasks. It’s being first used to help children in the Ultra-Orthodox Haredi Jewish community learn to read and speak Hebrew, and Elie has plans to expand this to any language and any type of text.We discuss the unique teaching methods Elie has developed, and the value of distance learning during the COVID crisis. We also explore the challenges involved in training speech-to-text models with children, and how technology in general can be used to address cultural pain points.Elie is looking for excited educators and inspired investors who would like to start pilot programs in schools, for any text based reading tasks. He is in search of a technical co-founder who can help with the programming and/or speech engine technology. If you are interested in joining Elie, or know anyone who might be, please reach out to him at elijahcdordek@shanen.li As this is the first interview of this kind, please let me know what you liked or disliked by tweeting @VoiceTechCarl, or email me at carl@voicetechpodcast.com.  Links to clickShanenLi appRabbi Elijah C Dordek on EmailRabbi Elijah C Dordek on LinkedInRabbi Elijah C Dordek on Twitter @AshanenliRabbi Elijah C Dordek on Facebook[VIDEO] ShanenLi Success[VIDEO] Special Ed Teacher successfully helps students succeed in text based tasks[PODCAST] Elie on the Voice for Health podcast with Dr. Teri FisherMy "Mishna Sdura" Series of Jewish TextbooksThe Bizlabs Scalerator in JerusalemMorgane Daniel - Lead Speech Scientist at LaliloMentor - Menachem SheferRon Jowarski - TrinityDr. Teri Fisher - Voice First HealthDr. Michael Eigen with Dr. Aner GovrinSponsors:Rumble StudioFind us here:WebsiteApple PodcastsSpotifyYouTubeDiscordLinkedInXRedditPatreoncarl@voicetechpodcast.com ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

7/13/20 • 43:00

As the voice industry continues to grow in leaps and bounds, conversational components stand out as a key development moving forward. What are these conversational components? Simply put, they are modular blocks of customizable, reusable conversational services, accessible via APIs that can fit together in a myriad of ways to form larger, conversational flows. Conversational Components, known as CoCo are leading the charge with this modular-based component approach. In this episode, Yaki Dunietz, the company's CEO, who has been working in conversational AI for more than 20 years, and Jason Gilbert, lead conversation designer at CoCo, who has designed text-to-voice experiences across a range of conversational channels, join us to share more about the company and its unique approach to chatbots. We kick the show off by diving into CoCo’s service as a hub and directory for conversational components. We learn about how the components are accessed, vendor publishing, and how searches on the platform work. From there, we move onto how the bots handle queries, both in and out of context. It is vitally important for these bots to engage in small talk, which requires a few thousand smaller bots all to fire at the same time. Through increasing access, CoCo hopes to encourage collaboration and in doing so, propel developments in the space forward. We round off the show by learning more about Yaki and Jason’s respective backgrounds and how it shaped their thinking, what it takes to build a bot’s personality, and what the future has in store for CoCo.Links from the show:Yaki DunietzYaki Dunietz on TwitterConversational ComponentsConversational Components HubJason F. GilbertScore PublishingTOBiJovoVoiceflowThe Age of Spiritual MachinesJoseph WeizenbaumMitsukuSteve WorswickZootopiaSponsors:Manning books

7/6/20 • 58:15

As the number of voice tech innovations continues to rise, how are investors responding? Is there interest in this potential investment niche or has it not yet penetrated the investor psyche enough for serious capital injection? Today's guest, Yannick Oswald of Mangrove Capital Partners, shares his investor insights into the voice tech space. Mangrove Capital is a venture capital firm chasing transformational ideas around the world, with a focus on early-stage companies before product launch. They have several very successful seed investments such as Skype and Wix, and are very bullish on voice tech. We kick off this episode with Yannick explaining the firm’s interest in the voice space. With a relatively new interest of only a year and a half, they feel that voice can catalyze a shift in technological social interaction. While conventional social media is a solitary, private experience, voice has the potential to take away the fake façade of other social platforms and reestablish the authentic connection. From there, we learn more about Mangrove’s voice investment, Sybel, and how the platform seeks to reinvent audio entertainment. Yannick found that listening to a documentary provided the same entertainment experience as watching it on screen, which is what sparked his interest. We then move onto podcasts and audio content, and where Yannick sees opportunities for investors. He talks about how this niche will branch off into different genres and the likely determining factors of success. The lockdown has changed the way that people interact with voice and audio platforms, and companies can use this time to cement their places in users’ lives. The show rounds off with some advice from Yannick for voice tech entrepreneurs and what’s in store for Mangrove Capital moving forward. This was a great discussion, so be sure to tune in!Links from the show:Yannick OswaldYannick Oswald on TwitterYannick Oswald on LinkedInMangrove Capital PartnersBecome a Voice Tech ProSybelAlexa FundSponsors:Digital Book World 2020 Conference

6/22/20 • 51:06

Today on the show, we welcome Jan König, co-founder of Jovo. Jovo is an open source layer that lets you build and run voice experiences across multiple devices and platforms including, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Samsung Bixby, mobile phone and web apps, and many more!In this episode, we get an inside look into Jovo’s architecture and business model, as well as the latest and greatest version of the build-once deploy-everywhere solution for voice. Jovo version 3 has just been released, and it expands the number of channels you can build for, which now includes Twilio, Facebook Messenger, and even Samsung Bixby. The product has significantly matured and is used by many top brands to build world-class apps today. Not only do we dig into all the new Jovo v3 features, but we speak about the challenges involved with building an open source startup. On the dev side, we take a look at standards, software patterns, and the design considerations between voice bots versus chat bots. On the industry side, we explore best practices, where the voice market is going beyond the big platforms, and much, much more.Jan is a highly concentrated source of information, and the insights per minute in this episode is off the charts! So, if you’re looking to have your mind-blown in multiple directions, then take a listen!Links from the show:Jan König Jan König on TwitterJan König on LinkedInJan König on MediumTwilioJovo V3Jovo Enterprise SuiteSamsung BixbyAmazon AlexaAmazon PayBeta Works/Voice CampDialogFlowVoiceFlowRasaSalesForceOpen Voice NetworkHello WorldAlexa Please Send This to My ScreenSponsors:Voice of Healthcare Summit

6/8/20 • 57:50

Today on the show, we welcome Steve Tingiris. Steve is a leader in the field of voice development, a serial entrepreneur, and amazingly he still codes everyday. He’s the founder of Dabble Lab, which builds tech products and tools to automate business workflows with a strong focus on AI-powered digital assistants and voice. He also runs the hugely popular DabbleLab YouTube channel.The topic of today’s show is getting started with voice development. Here, we hear from Steve about the various stages of his entrepreneurial journey, his experience working with clients, the many challenges he’s faced in the industry, as well as his deep expertise in the Twilio system and developing IVR solutions. Steve also describes what the state of natural language understanding is today and shares his advice for budding voice developers entering the field. We also get stuck into his YouTube channel and all the tutorials he’s consistently put out over the years to help new and experienced developers hone their craft. If you are just getting started in voice development, this episode is packed with great advice, resources, and motivation to get you going!Links from the show:Steve Tingiris on TwitterSteve Tingiris on LinkedInSteve Tingiris on FacebookDabble LabDabble Lab on YouTube Bot PatternsTwilioJovo V3RasaSalesForceOpen Voice NetworkFind us here:WebsiteApple PodcastsSpotifyYouTubeDiscordLinkedInXRedditPatreoncarl@voicetechpodcast.com ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

5/25/20 • 48:32

Today on the show, we welcome Carl Robinson. Yep, the script has been flipped, and your favorite Voice Tech Podcast host is now on the other side of the mic as today’s guest! Interviewing Carl live from Project Voice is the brilliant Keri Roberts – host of the Inside Voice Podcast.In this episode, we find out more about Carl’s background as a data scientist, how he got interested in voice tech through emotion detection technology, and the fascinating array of projects he has worked on since those earlier days. We also discover why the Voice Tech Podcast was started, how it has progressed since its inception in 2018, and the many insights Carl has gleaned from the array of guests and conversations he has had on this very podcast show to date.From the boom in voice tech education, to hearables and wearables, biometric smart speaker detection, and the remarkable advancements being made in emotion detection – Carl also shares the technology he is most excited about right now, and his predictions for future trends. Whether you are new or old to the world of voice tech, or perhaps just seeking some great tips for your own podcast – this is a fantastic episode that will connect you to the heart of your host and the latest in voice tech!Links from the show:Voice Tech PodcastCarl Robinson on TwitterCarl Robinson on LinkedInInside VOICE PodcastKeri Roberts on LinkedInKeri Roberts on TwitterProject VoiceBatvoiceTask BulletVoice Tech Podcast NewsletterVoice Master’s by Vixen LabNeurodata LabPragmatic DigitalProject Voice 2020 – Voice Tech Podcast ep.050Find us here:WebsiteApple PodcastsSpotifyYouTubeDiscordLinkedInXRedditPatreoncarl@voicetechpodcast.com ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

5/11/20 • 20:42

Marek Mis is the founder of OnlyOne, the first ever voice-dating application. Only One helps users find their true love using only their voice.We explore the fascinating concept of without images, diving into the product features, and how the platform matches you up with your perfect partner. We discuss dating apps in general, typical behavioral patterns seen on dating apps today, as well as the benefits of having voice-only matchmakers, as opposed to the more multi-modal features seen in ‘traditional’ dating apps, like Tinder today. We also hear what Marek has learned from the initial data generated by platform’s users; what he’s learned about human connection, what he has been most surprised by, and the types of metrics that he tracks. We also get into the nuts and bolts of this app development process itself; everything from Dialogflow, to FireBase, to Web App JS, and how you can become an expert in these technologies.Links from the show:Marek MisMarek Mis on TwitterMarek Mis on LinkedInOnlyOneOnlyOne on Google AssistantGreenwood CampbellVoiceBaseUpside AgencyFireBaseDating App Waving Uses Your Voice in Profiles Instead of PicturesEpisode 36: Echo Echo Chamber with Adam GreenwoodFind us here:WebsiteApple PodcastsSpotifyYouTubeDiscordLinkedInXRedditPatreoncarl@voicetechpodcast.com ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

4/27/20 • 46:27

Jon is the leader of the Open Voice Network, an organization that seeks to create a future of AI voice that is standards-based, interoperable, accessible, and data protected. While the voice movement is growing rapidly, it is still very much in a fledgling state. This makes the task of setting up governance and standards in the space highly relevant, and one which Jon is working hard to address. In today’s episode, we talk about why we need a network like OVN at all, and what happens if we don’t create such an organization. Jon explains why he is focusing on shopping and retail in particular. He dives into how this category of the market presents a research case that raises many of the relevant issues arising by the introduction of voice technology into a particular field.We cover conflicts of interest and groupthink too; between users, developers, enterprises, platform companies, and thought leaders, there are clearly many voices with different vested interests in what the standards look like and who they benefit. We hear about the five main areas which the research at OVN will focus on.Our conversation also covers some of the ethical issues raised by just how much data can be captured in a moment in which a customer's voice gets recorded, and how standardization can address the responsibility this places the company which hears it in. In the bonus questions for Pro listeners, Jon reflects on his storied career in technology, and what led him to launch the Open Voice Network. Links from the show:Jon StineJon Stine on LinkedInOpen Voice NetworkMIT Auto-ID LabIntelProf. Sanjay SarmaProf. Brian SubiranaBret KinsellaOpen Rights GroupSponsors:Manning books

4/13/20 • 45:46

Braden Ream is the CEO of Voiceflow, a collaborative design platform for voice app development. Voiceflow is currently responsible for powering one million conversations a month and 6% of the world’s Alexa Skills are built on their platform. In this episode, we discover how to build Alexa Skills and Google Actions without coding, using Voiceflow’s drag and drop interface. First off, we dive into conversation design on Voiceflow, the difference between using flowcharts and stateful design, the limitations of Voiceflow versus coding from scratch, and how Braden views the parity gap between what their platform can produce and what you can produce on the core platforms.We also get into industry topics such as what it is like to build a voice startup in the context of today’s funding, competition, and timing challenges; whether Braden considers voice to be an interface or platform; and his thoughts on the discovery issue and how it can be improved.You will also hear Braden’s predictions for 2020 – specifically the rise of intent-less voice app structures, the debate about whether apps are the right model for voice interfaces, and then he shares how he has managed to build such a strong community. There are also a number of bonus questions that reveal more about Braden’s background and the advice he has for newcomers.Links from the show:Braden Ream on LinkedInBraden Ream on TwitterVoiceflowVoiceflow on TwitterVoice Tech Podcast (Pro) Project Voice AwardsAmerican Cancer SocietyAnnapurna Pictures Missing LinkAlexaThe New York TimesMatchboxMore Than Just Weather & Music: 200 Ways to Use Alexa WiredSponsors:Voice Connected Business EU conference

4/6/20 • 52:02

Emerson Sklar is the Chief Evangelist at Bespoken, a company with a popular toolkit for testing and monitoring voice apps. We start by unpacking the fundamentals of testing and the various types, from the unit and end-to-end testing to continuous and usability performance testing.Emerson talks to us through the product features of Bespoken and how it works. We discover the surprising fact that their system uses text-to-speech to generate audio, which is then fed to a virtual Alexa on the servers to generate a response. They are thus able to modify the input in order to measure what effect that has on the output.Tuning in, listeners will also learn from case studies involving The Mars Agency and Mercedes, we cover the vital elements of a testing strategy and how it should be approached, and then we look at ways to better understand voice app users through monitoring and analytics. We have included a bonus section at the end comprising a run-down of all the tools that we can recommend for the various stages of the voice development process, including prototyping, skill building, coding frameworks, testing, and analytics.Links from the show:Emerson Sklar on LinkedInEmerson Sklar on TwitterEmerson Sklar EmailBespokenBespoken on TwitterThe Mars AgencyMercedesArmy Research Laboratory Army Intelligence and Security CommandApplause Amazon PollyGoogle Cloud Text-to-SpeechAlexaBret Kinsella on TwitterAdobe XDCathy PearlSponsors:Manning books

3/23/20 • 55:28

Bixby 2, Samsung’s new voice assistant, is poised to become a major player in the voice ecosystem. With 500m devices sold each year, it represents an enormous opportunity for voice developers. Bixby’s Lead Developer Evangelist, Roger Kibbe, introduces us to the new product and what it means for developers, users, and the frontier of voice.In this episode, Roger talks about the coming paradigm shift voice presents in the way we will interact with our devices. He gets into what using Bixby will be like, including how their team have incorporated multimodality, and what that might look like while watching TV or booking a hotel. We take a deep dive into the development side of Bixby too, and Roger gives us some compelling reasons for why developers should get familiar with their IDE right away. He speaks about what it’s like to code on it, focusing on its revolutionary declarative development paradigm, and also touching on building concepts and actions. We hear about the genius AI behind its use of templates to refine searches and access spreadsheets, and its smart use of categories for third party apps, to deliver the best possible experience. In our bonus questions, Roger tells us his background story, and shares his advice for budding voice developers. This is an in-depth interview that gets into a range of exciting topics, making for an unmissable episode.Links from the show:Roger Kibbe on LinkedInRoger Kibbe on Twitter Bixby Developer StudioBixby Developers on GitHubBixby Development YouTube TutorialsBixby Developers on TwitterBixby Developers on FacebookBixby Developers Chat on SpotifyHow to make a Bixby Capsule Guide

3/16/20 • 77:53

In today’s episode, you’ll hear four of my favorite conversations with brands and providers recorded at the recent Project Voice conference in Chattanooga, Tennessee. First up is Alexey Khitrov from IDR&D, who comes back on the show to give us an update on recent features, including their prizewinning results on liveness checks, a five-step behind-the-scenes authentication system, and their recent adoption of face technology too.Next up are Ron Jaworski and Noa Eshed from Trinity Audio who present the innovative features of their audio content solution. The team notably lists their CMS platform and the higher agency it provides their clients as far as content management. Laura Frantz from ICF also joins us to tell the story of how she built a voice app for a utilities company. She speaks about the functionality of the app and its hopes to integrate billing services in the future. Lastly, we speak to Zac Jarrard, project manager at Park University in Missouri, who talks about how students are not only using Alexa to access university services but are also learning to build Alexa apps in his voice development club. Links from the show:Project VoiceAlexey Khitrov on LinkedInIDR&DNoa Eshed on LinkedInRon Jaworski on LinkedInTrinity AudioTrinity Audio on YouTubeTrinity Audio on QuoraLaura Frantz on LinkedInLaura Frantz on TwitterICFZac Jarrard on LinkedInPark UniversityVoiceTech ShopAmazon AWSApple PodcastsSpotifyNew York TimesSouthern Maryland Electric CooperativeVoicebot.aiSponsors:Manning books

3/9/20 • 56:00

As voice-assistant technologies become more frequent in many different industries, questions of its influence on those industries themselves become more pertinent. Today’s guest is Krish Velkar from Ogilvy, who joins us to discuss his recent master's dissertation which explored the influence of voice assistants on the purchasing of FMCG products (fast-moving consumer goods).In this episode, we discuss the history of voice technology and the ways people are beginning to use it more frequently in India as well as globally. Krish gets into what voice tech promises for accessibility, speaking to his grandparents’ adoption of smartphones due to the intuitiveness of voice tech as a UI. He speaks about the idea of low and high involvement purchases, and where voice purchasing is most effective.We then get into Krish’s actual research, and he takes us through the hypotheses, methods, discoveries, and insights that can be found in his dissertation. He talks about the surveys he made regarding the buying process and the likelihood of repurchase using the Ariel detergent virtual assistant. He also discusses ways companies can optimize the voice-assisted experience, stressing the value of early brand adoption and more anthropomorphic chatbots. We could be looking at significant developments in the FMCG retail space over the next few years, so Krish’s research couldn’t come at a better time. Tune in to hear more about it. Links from the show:Krish Velkar on LinkedInKrish Velkar on TwitterAlexa, are you a salesperson?Impact of Voice Assistance on a Consumer’s Purchase Decision for FMCG ProductsOgilvyJames PoulterVoice2University of BathMarketing WeekVR WorldKing’s CollegeProfessor Ko de RuyterMark RitsonVixen LabsSiriIBM ShoeboxCarnegie Mellon HarpySponsors:Voice of the Car Summit

3/2/20 • 49:39

On the show this week, we welcome Stacey Zuniga, the VP of Financial Services at ENACOMM, a FinTech provider of intelligent interactions and customer authentication for banks and financial services companies. Also joining us for the conversation is Kelly Burdette, the Senior Vice President of Digital and Product at Bank Independent – a customer of ENACOMM. Talking with both the technology provider and the client about how voice banking was implemented on Alexa makes for a well-rounded discussion. You will learn about the rationale behind the project and, from Kelly’s perspective, what it is like to compete with other banks and stay ahead of the curve. Our guests explain the benefits of voice banking, including improved accessibility, convenience, security, and human connection. Then Stacey explains the challenges of building financial-grade authentication with the platforms, the bidirectional exchange of information and the necessary changes to integrate the voice platform with the existing systems. We also cover some of the security issues of voice banking and payments, the latest technologies such as voice biometrics, and the importance of multi-factor authentication.This conversation is particularly relevant considering that it revolves around a service that most of us will inevitably engage, and listeners will hear use cases for how this technology is expected to change the lives of both young and old.Links from the show:Stacey Zuniga on LinkedIn Kelly Burdette on LinkedInENACOMMBank IndependentBank of AmericaChase Jack Henry & AssociatesBoseSponsors:Manning books

2/24/20 • 49:57

Today on the show we talk with seven leading French companies in the burgeoning European voice space. The Voice Tech Paris 2019 Conference took place just last November and was the first B2B event dedicated to voice technology in France. But with over 50 speakers and 700 participants who attended, it’s safe to say that it’s certainly not going to be the last! In this episode, we hear from seven pioneering startups, ranging in specializations from speech analytics, to real-time voice transformation, to developing custom digital spokespeople, to a number of agencies as well. These companies give us a great cross-section of the types of attendees at the Voice Tech Paris 2019 Conference, as well as a panoramic view of what’s happening on the ground in the voice space in France, right now. The companies we speak with today are Allo-Media, Airudit, Candy Voice, Acapela Group, Insign, Speak UX!, and Loui Tech. Interest around voice interface is steadily growing in France, and if you’re wondering what the European market looks like today, and what it might look like in the near future, this is a great episode for keeping your finger on the pulse! By the end of this episode, you’ll be floored by the innovative solutions these seven diverse startups are providing for a kaleidoscope of users, from pilots to submarine workers, students, top brands, video gamers, telecommunicators, national train lines, to the medical world, and many more!Links from the show:Voice Tech in Paris 2019Acapela GroupRemy Cadic on LinkedInDeutsche BahnMy Own Voice ProjectAiruditCandy VoiceVoiceMarketAllo-MediaAllo-Media on TwitterRomain Sambarino on LinkedInInsignSnipsSpeak UX!Amina Esselimani on LinkedInHello my botVoxygenLoui TechSponsors:Voice of the Car Summit

2/17/20 • 54:04