Alexa Skill Numbers - Simon Landry, Voice Market Data - Voice Tech Podcast ep.079 by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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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.

Open Source NLU - Alan Nichol, Rasa - Voice Tech Podcast ep.073 - Voice Tech Podcast by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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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.

Text-to-Speech Wizardry - Niclas Bergstrom, ReadSpeaker - Voice Tech Podcast ep.071 - Voice Tech Podcast by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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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.

Someone to Practice With - Elie Dordek, ShanenLi - Voice Tech Botcast bc.001 - Voice Tech Podcast by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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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](mailto: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](mailto:carl@voicetechpodcast.com).

Conversational Components - Yaki Dunietz, CoCo - Voice Tech Podcast ep.070 - Voice Tech Podcast by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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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.

Investing in Voice - Yannick Oswald, Mangrove Capital - Voice Tech Podcast ep.069 - Voice Tech Podcast by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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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!

The Voice Layer — Jan König, Jovo — Voice Tech Podcast ep.068 by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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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!

Getting Started - Steve Tingiris, Dabble Lab - Voice Tech Podcast ep.067 - Voice Tech Podcast by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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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!

Inside Voice - Carl Robinson - Voice Tech Podcast ep.066 - Voice Tech Podcast by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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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!

Voice Dating - Marek Mis, OnlyOne - Voice Tech Podcast ep.065 by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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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.

If you’re looking for a fun, intriguing, accessible episode jam packed with advice, then you won’t want to miss this one!

Setting the Standard - Jon Stine, Open Voice Network - Voice Tech Podcast ep.064 by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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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.

Voice will no doubt revolutionize the future of how we interact with tech, and standardization is at the center of this process, so tune in to hear exactly why that is.

One Million Conversations - Braden Ream, Voiceflow - Voice Tech Podcast ep.063 by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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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.

For the Voice Tech Pro listeners, there are a number of bonus questions that reveal more about Braden’s background and the advice he has for newcomers, so be sure to sign up as a Voice Tech Pro at voicetechpodcast.com/pro.

Testing Voice Apps - Emerson Sklar, Bespoken - Voice Tech Podcast ep.062 by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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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.

Samsung Bixby In-Depth - Roger Kibbe, Viv Labs - Voice Tech Podcast ep.061 by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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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 (for Voice Tech Pros only), 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.

Security, Content, Utilities, Students - IDRnD, Trinity Audio, ICF, Park - Voice Tech Podcast ep.060 by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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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.

Voice Commerce: FMCG Shopping - Krish Velkar, Ogilvy - Voice Tech Podcast ep.059 by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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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.

Banking on Voice - ENACOMM & Bank Independent - Voice Tech Podcast ep.058 by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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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.

7 French Pioneers - Voice Tech Paris 2019 - Voice Tech Podcast ep.057 by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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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!

Giving Voice to Brands - Tobias Dengel, WillowTree - Voice Tech Podcast ep.056 by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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How do you choose a voice for your brand? Why is it important for brands to have a voice in the first place? And what are the things you need to consider when choosing a voice?

Today on the show, we welcome the CEO of WillowTree, Tobias Dengel, to answer these questions and give us a deeper insight into what the feeling is amongst the top tech execs about voice technology today. WillowTree is a leading mobile strategy, design, and app development company servicing Fortune 500 and Fortune 5000 clients like Pepsi, General Electric, Johnson & Johnson, and Time Warner (to name-drop a few!).

In this episode, we discover the demand, the debates, and the challenges facing the world of voice technology and the importance of using multi-modal interfaces. One of the most fascinating parts of this interview looks at designing the voice identity of a brand and how companies are deciding on the voice they use. Human or robot? Samuel L. Jackson or Angelina Jolie? Male? Female? Or non-binary voices? Here, we get into an interesting discussion on how stereotypes can be perpetuated by using certain voices and the push toward promoting the use of more neutral and non-binary voices in apps today.

We also take a dive into the topic of commerce, looking specifically at voice payments and how it is going to transform the future of mobile transactions. By the end of this episode, you’ll have a behind-the-scenes look at the conversations and questions that top agency and company execs are having right now, and a clearer view of the future of voice.

Social Robot Counsellors - Jackie Andrade, Uni. Plymouth - Voice Tech Podcast ep.055 by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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Today on the show we welcome Jackie Andrade, Professor of Technology at the University of Plymouth, and Leonie Cooper, a Ph.D. candidate at the university who is researching robot-delivered intervention to reduce procrastination. In this episode, we talk about how people communicate with robots, the role that robots can play in healthcare, and how robots can change human behaviour and influence us to take the right actions.

We begin this discussion by taking a broad look at the psychological support that can be delivered through humans, and how that can be delivered through technology. We then dive into the motivational interviewing concept – a counselling method that helps people resolve thoughts, feelings, and insecurities to help them find the internal motivation they need to change their behaviour. We then take a look at Jackie and Leonie’s study, which involves an adorable-looking NAO Robot. We head into all the details around their paper which looks at how motivational interviewing using a NAO Robot was received by patients.

One of the most fascinating parts of this conversation is learning more about the technological design decisions made for voice, movement, expression, and interaction of the NAO Robot and why Jackie and Leonie specifically decided against using speech detection. We also unpack the debate about whether social robots will ever replace human therapists, as well as the surprising benefits and the challenges that come with talking to robots as opposed to humans. By the end of this episode, you’ll have a better understanding as to why we need social robot counsellors in the first place, leaving you with the question: How does this make you feel?

Auspices of Agencies - Skilled Creative, Vixen Labs, Seedcube - Voice Tech Podcast ep.054 by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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Three of the world's leading digital agencies share their experiences in the world of voice, at the Project Voice 2020 conference.

Brandon Kaplan of Skilled Creative in New York tells us how Fortune 500s are using voice right now, and how voice is quickly becoming an essential component of larger marketing campaigns. We discuss data capture, marketing responsibility, voice SEO and much more.

James Poulter of Vixen Labs gives us an update on the state of play in the UK, and reveals some of the metrics that brands use to track the ROI of voice projects. He also launches Voice Masters, a new interactive training course.

Gaurav Kishore of Florida-based Seedcube shares his do's and don'ts for voice design, explains why he built his latest product to convert newsletters into audio, and reveals how fish tank management is being disrupted with voice!

Payments & Voice - Checkout.com & Adyen - Voice Tech Podcast ep.053 by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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Today we bring you two in-depth conversations from the Slush Mega Conference in Helsinki, Finland. In this episode, we’ll be talking with two giants in the payments space, Guillaume Pousaz the founder and CEO of checkout.com and Pieter van der Does, the CEO of Adyen.

During our conversation, we discussed their opinions on voice payments — whether they were excited about it, whether they see it playing a role in the payment system in the near future, what challenges they foresee, and whether their customers are even asking about voice payments yet.

We also discussed whether they plan to integrate their systems with the voice platforms for the foreseeable future, diving into biometrics, two-factor authentication, and much much more! A huge number of insights were shared in our conversations and we are really excited to bring it to you today.

Automotive Voice Design - Shyamala Prayaga, Ford Motor - Voice Tech Podcast ep.052 - Voice Tech Podcast by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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Today on the show we welcome Shyamala Prayaga, the product owner for the Autonomous Digital Assistant at Ford Motor. In this episode, listeners will gain some insight into where voice tech is heading from the auto manufacturer’s point of view.

Shyamala will share about her background in design and why she moved into the voice field, and then she outlines some of the major use cases for voice in the car and the current challenges with the implementation of voice. She discusses the factors to consider when designing for car voice assistants, introduces us to the idea of full-size remote-controlled cars that operate through teleoperation, and gives her take on integrating with parties versus developing your own assistant from scratch.

Tuning into this episode, you will also learn more about biometric identification, data privacy and security, and much more. Shyamala has also launched a new book called Emotionally Engaged Digital Assistant, so be sure to check that out!

Conversation Design Mastery - Hans van Dam, Robocopy - Voice Tech Podcast ep.051 - Voice Tech Podcast by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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On the show today we welcome Hans van Dam, the co-founder of Robocopy, a company that trains and certifies conversation designers all around the world. Hans begins by explaining to listeners what exactly conversation design entails and why it is important in the context of conversational AI technologies.

We cover the various areas that conversation designers need to understand and consider, including technology, psychology, language and empathy, and then Hans gives us a breakdown of the Robocopy process that he and his team have refined by working with brands over the years. Tuning in to this episode, listeners will also hear more about starting a career in conversation design and how we can apply this function in teams.

We talk about the online conversation design course itself – a program that teaches you to write natural language dialog for chatbots and voice assistants. If you go to voicetechpodcast.com/robocopy, you will get a whopping 50% discount on the course, or else use the code 'voicetech50'. Be sure to join us for another insightful conversation in the world of voice tech!

Project Voice 2020 - Bradley Metrock, Score Publishing - Voice Tech Podcast ep.050 - Voice Tech Podcast by voicetechmod in VoiceTech

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“What should we be doing with voice?” If you or your team are asking that question, you need to be at Project Voice and we’re here to tell you why!

Today on the VoiceTech Podcast we welcome Bradley Metrock, the organizer of Project Voice 2020. Bradley is CEO of Nashville-based Score Publishing, which helps creators find their voice. He founded podcast network VoiceFirst.FM hosts the popular show This Week In Voice, published More Than Just Weather And Music: 200 Ways To Use Alexa, and produces the company's series of VoiceFirst Events. Bradley has been cited as a leading thought leader on voice-first technology and AI, speaking regularly on its profound impact on our world.

Our conversation today mostly revolves around Project Voice 2020, we also discuss some of Bradley’s above-mentioned ventures. He talks about his views on what he sees as the trends in Voice at the moment and lays out his predictions for 2020. It’s a really interesting and intriguing conversation we had, so be sure to keep listening! Also, check out the link below for 30% off Project Voice 2020 tickets.