Slaves to the Algo

The way humans communicate is in bite sized pieces. So-Young Kang believes that we’ve been practicing micro learning for 1000s of years now. Our most recent guest on Slaves to the Algo says, “It's the neuroscience of learning. There's the behavior design component of it. But there are decades of research around how humans learn and maximize our potential. And it's not through long form one way communication.”   Dive into an interesting episode of humanizing tech in the age of AI with Suresh Shankar and So-Young Kang

When social tech entrepreneur Lucia Gallardo decided to work on creating solutions for undocumented workers, she decided that there was only one way to understand the problems they faced.

By putting herself in their shoes. Quite literally. Tune in to the latest episode of our podcast, Slaves to the Algo, to find out more about

- Her three-month-long social experiment where she lived as an undocumented worker
- The barriers she broke
- Why she chose to challenge the norms for social change

How far would you go to create something phenomenal?

For inspiration, check out Lucia’s conversation with Suresh Shankar here.

Technology is advancing at a rapid pace. And Lucia Gallardo believes in capitalizing on this for the greater good!

Our most recent guest on Slaves to the Algo says, "Emerge was inevitable since I was eight! I am very cognizant of the fact that technology is constantly evolving. But I'm working towards a tech that will benefit everyone and advancement should have a sense of justice and inclusion within it."

Tune in to find out how to

-Conserve rainforests with NFTs

-Track Covid cases with Blockchain

-Design systems with partial anonymity

-Make tech accessible for public good

How does an enterprise strike a balance between managing human and tech intelligence? Dr CJ Meadows believes that technology is our new colleague, and we need to treat it as such.

Our most recent guest on Slaves to the Algo says, “We don't have to have jobs that don't fit the person. So, do you change the job, or do you change the person? How about just having a person work on the tasks they are appropriate for and manage everything you know. Then the org chart looks like a big network and it's not static. It changes in real time, every second, as people get started on new things.”

Dive into an interesting talk on the future of workforce , design thinking, humanoid robots and more! Check out the full conversation between Suresh and Dr. Meadows

Is technology an enabler to sharpen your art?  CVL Srinivas believes that it doesn’t matter whether you are in a creative department or PR agency or brand agency. No one can escape technology. Especially since it's now at the forefront of enabling brands and products to reach out to diverse audiences. 

Our most recent guest on Slaves to the Algo says, “As agencies, we sit in a very unique position which is at the confluence of brand, consumer, media, technology. We perhaps have the best seat in the house, when it comes to guiding the client ecosystem in terms of managing the [digital] change.” 

Tune in to find out how the media industry landscape has transformed over the digital era!

Why is Chennai Super Kings one of the best loved teams in the IPL?

Apart from player performance, it's the way the franchise engages with its fans, believes Sundar Raman.

They speak their language, with tweets in Tamil like, "Aarambiklangla" ("Shall we begin?"). They feed the #Yellove adoration with behind-the-scenes training footage. And it's safe to say that MS Dhoni's on-field achievements continue to draw the crowds.

For more on how teams engage with fans, tune in to the latest episode of Slaves to the Algo! Sundar and Suresh Shankar talk about audience engagement strategies, monetizing intelligently, and bringing cricket to the metaverse.

#AI #podcast #CSK #IPL #Dhoni

Is R Ashwin really the best bowler against left handers? Does he use just his innate talent to take them out? How much does he rely on data and analytics to get there?

In this episode of Slaves to the Algo, management consultant Sundar Raman joins host Suresh Shankar to talk all things cricket! Find out why cricketers and analysts have a symbiotic relationship. Plus, insights into the IPL auction and the economics of team building. 

Whether it's team sports like cricket, or individual sports like Formula One, is it the game that gets us hooked? Or is it the sportsperson, wonders Suresh Shankar.

"It's not an either or situation. It's not a zero sum game," says Unmish Parthasarathi, adding that players in team sports are in a more sensitive and risky position than individual players.

To find out why, tune in to part 2 of Sports and AI with Unmish and Suresh. In this episode, they discuss off-field performance, fan engagement and IPL player auctions!

When it comes to on-field dynamics in cricket (or sports in general), Unmish Parthasarathi believes that there are three objectives AI can achieve.

Discovery: How do you discover talent or elements of talent? Data can help decipher who can play the googly better. And who can do it best in the first six overs.

Refinement: Once you've got the talent, you use more data and analysis to polish it and make it make it match ready.

Performance: Just as a batsman or bowler has access to data, so does the competition. The key is to evolve as a player using this information.

To find out more, just in time for the IPL, tune in to this latest episode of Slaves to the Algo. Host Suresh Shankar and Unmish take us on a deep dive of just how much data and AI has made its impact on cricket!

Did you know that humans spend an average of 8.6 hours a day using technology? We're all but lost without it! And what goes on behind the scenes? Those who write lines of code, converting them into the next Google or Instagram or Spotify.

But author Rishad Tobaccowala believes that the future belongs to those who think data and craft stories around it. The formula for a winning streak, according to him, is "People + Technology."

Check out the latest episode of Slaves to the Algo podcast, where Rishad and host Suresh Shankar talk about real life examples of companies that have mastered the art of storytelling with data!

What does it take for another human to be your friend? Identical tastes? Similar areas of interest? Compassion?

Yet, we squabble with each other upon difference of opinion! So, how do we ensure machines understand us and fine tune their algos to match our needs?

In this episode of Slaves to the Algo, Alok Aggarwal and Suresh Shankar try to demystify the age of AI !

If you are someone who is looking to pursue a career in AI and ML, this is a gold mine. Alok gives us a peek into his book where he covers 100+ years of Artificial Intelligence! (Yes, AI has been around longer than we thought!)

What does a full-stack restaurant model look like? "At Grain, we control the whole end-to-end user experience from cooking, to ordering to delivering. So, we own kitchens, we build our tech, and we own a network of drivers,” explains Yi Sung Yong, co-founder & CEO of Grain. He joins Suresh Shankar in the latest episode of the Slaves to the Algo podcast.

Grain is a Singapore-based multi-brand cloud kitchen that leverages data and a tech-enabled network to serve food to customers. This helps them group their orders a lot more effectively and batch them together. “You can think of it as economies of scale - we can do 8 to 10 drops over two hours versus the industry average of three to four,” says Sung.

Sung and Suresh also talk about using AI for menu curation, meal planning and inventory management for catering services.

In this season of Slaves to the Algo, podcast host and AI evangelist Suresh Shankar connected with different leaders from digital marketing to EdTech to healthcare to travel. They discussed how AI has transformed and is continuing to transform their industries, their professional and their personal lives, too. This finale episode brings the top moments from this season, in 2 parts. Featuring Sandeep Reddy of Medi AI, Gillian Docherty of The Data Lab, Mieke De Schepper of Amadeus, Greg Palmer of the Finovate Group and Peng Ong of Monk's Hill Ventures.

In this season of Slaves to the Algo, podcast host and AI evangelist Suresh Shankar connected with different leaders from digital marketing to EdTech to healthcare to travel. They discussed how AI has transformed and is continuing to transform their industries, their professional and their personal lives, too. This finale episode brings the top moments from this season, in 2 parts. Featuring Eric Siu of Single Grain, Valerie Wagoner of GoPay and David Shrier of Esme Learning Solutions. 

Four-time highly successful entrepreneur, “algonaut,” and one of the earliest leaders of AI Peng Ong discusses the evolution of technology in multiple spheres in this week’s episode of Slaves to the Algo. In the first half of a deeply insightful conversation, Peng talked about the match-making algorithm (00:04:05) based on his experience as the co-founder of Match.com, how modern-day systems can evolve to build trust among consumers (00:13:14) and his journey from founding and exiting three very different companies to becoming a venture-capitalist with Monk’s Hill (00:17:45).

In the latter half of the episode, speaking from his position as an investor, Peng detailed how today’s startups differentiate themselves by focusing on establishing relationships with consumers, not transactions (00:24:33). Peng also described how Monk’s Hill is resolving returns while vying for long-term success in its portfolio (00:30:15) and shared his views on creating value from your bits even if your business is highly atomized (00:33:31). Finally, Peng wrapped up by predicting that while AI will drive productivity through the roof and perhaps lead to fewer jobs, its evolution can also address the massive challenge of climate change (00:36:35).

In this week's episode, Suresh talked all-things-FinTech with Greg Palmer: columnist, podcaster, and Vice President of the Finovate Group. In the first half of what turned out to be a fascinating overview of some of the latest trends and innovations in the FinTech industry, Greg spoke about how prioritizing customer preferences has been front and center of almost every new FinTech venture that he has seen. In addition to that, he believes that one of the key points where FinTechs are starting to diverge from more traditional financial services companies is social responsibility: they are addressing challenges in the financial system from both a business standpoint and a social standpoint. 

In the latter half of the discussion, Greg dove deeper into a few specific trends that we see in today's FinTech landscape. He touched on how peer-to-peer payment providers need to differentiate themselves to gain "functional loyalty" from consumers, the high cost of storing data, the need for credit-scoring to undergo a massive transformation, and the use of AI to measure ESG standards. Last but not least, Greg predicts that AI will underpin nearly every organization's process - FinTech or not - over the next few years. 

EVP, Managing Director APAC, and all-around Travel-Tech expert Mieke De Schepper joined us to talk about predicting traveler's needs, improving operations, and personalizing the travel experience. In the first half of this week’s episode of Slaves to the Algo, Mieke deconstructed the search engines and ad functions on websites such as Expedia and Booking.com.  She highlighted how critical it is for companies to get the top five search results right, as consumers tend not to look beyond the first page.  Drawing on her personal and professional experience, Mieke discussed the countless ways in which travel-related companies use data. From understanding traveler profiles i.e. whether they’re traveling for work or leisure to reducing delays at major airports. We ended this episode by looking into the hospitality industry. While data can play a huge role in hotels serving their customers better, the importance of a “human touch,” will likely never fade away.

In this week’s episode, we caught up with Sandeep Reddy, doctor, medical informatician, AI specialist, and founder of Medi-AI. Sandeep outlined the advances that AI is making in the three critical stages of healthcare: diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. AI is transforming medical imaging interpretation, improving the accuracy of monitoring a patient's condition, and formulating the best possible treatment plans by synthesizing a wealth of data. Then, Sandeep highlighted the critical role that AI is playing in early medical interventions and preventative care. Whether it is applications that offer recommendations for healthy diets to coaching and counseling from virtual health assistants, AI can help create what is known as a "continuous care" model. Lastly, Sandeep also talked about how natural language processing (NLP) has enhanced both patient care and medical research ten-fold. Not only has NLP transcribed conversations with their patients so doctors spend less time taking notes, summarized and synthesized tens of thousands of articles and papers to aid researchers. As the American Medical Association puts it, in healthcare, AI should be referred to as "augmented intelligence:" enhancing clinical care through the collaboration between humans and technology.

Computer-scientist and business leader Gillian Docherty joined us in this week's episode of Slaves to the Algo to talk about how data and AI can transform outcomes across multiple sectors for an entire country: Scotland. Appointed an Officer of the British Empire in 2019 in recognition of her contributions to technology, Gillian founded the Data Lab, Scotland's Innovation Center for data and AI in 2013. Gillian began by describing the incredible strides AI has made in healthcare and well-being, from detecting dehydration in homes for the elderly to improving remote communication between patients and doctors. Gillian then highlighted how data helps plug gaps in societies and economies. The Data Lab is doing so through its own Master's program and by funding students to pursue their Master's degrees in specialized fields where businesses and industries have identified a significant gap in skills and knowledge. Gillian also touched on privacy and the importance of regulation, citing the Data Lab's collaboration with the Scottish government and its network of companies and councils to create a framework focused on developing ethical AI. A member of the utopian camp, Gillian ended a great conversation on a hopeful note: that we are all building a future our children can look forward to enjoying.

Futurist, author, entrepreneur, and educator David Shrier talks us through the evolution of AI, the development of the EdTech industry, and the importance of data-driven innovation across all sectors in this week’s episode of Slaves to the Algo. Drawing on his first job as a builder of data systems for financial services companies, David chronicles the journey of big data, and how it went from being in the background 20 years ago to the forefront of powering organic growth for Fortune 1000 companies today. As a Professor of Practice at Imperial College Business School and the Co-Founder of Esme Learning, David then discussed challenges and opportunities in the EdTech industry, particularly when it comes to delivering a unique, valuable educational experience with high completion rates. David also touched-upon the critical issue of gender diversity and representation, highlighting statistics that show a 40-60 male: female ratio creates the most successful outcomes for businesses. The big takeaways from David’s refreshing insights are that people don’t buy technologies, they buy solutions to problems and that data literacy is the next decade's skill for survival.

Entrepreneur, leading technology professional, and Chief Growth Officer of GoPay Valerie Wagoner joins us in this week’s episode to talk about how AI is transforming various subsectors of financial services. With over two decades of experience in not just products, but tech company launches, Valerie emphasized the importance of building trust with consumers and staying true to the product experience even as data drives the decision-making process. In the first half of an eye-opening conversation, Valerie details her work at Credit Karma and how the company successfully unpacked the “black-box” that is central to the life of every American consumer: their credit score. Valerie then discusses the main theme of the age of relevance in the context of digital wallets and payments, which is that less choice = more value. The key to retaining users for all digital service providers, whether in retail or finance, is good, relevant suggestions. We ended this intriguing exchange of ideas with Valerie's thoughts on some of the big changes she believes or hopes that AI will bring to the future of not just bits, but atoms businesses as well.

Gamer turned marketing leader, podcaster and influencer Eric Siu discusses the importance of establishing strong values, maintaining relationships, and producing high-quality content in the data-driven world of digital marketing. Kicking off this week’s episode, Eric talks us through some of his key learnings as a digital marketing guru and what has helped him turn his ventures into the successes they are, from his experience rescuing and growing Single Grain to authoring Leveling Up. Switching gears to the digital marketing industry, Eric shares that there is no shortage of channels to market yourself or your company, so it is all about focusing on the right metrics, and the growth will achieve itself. We wrapped up a fascinating conversation by gaining an insight into Eric’s plans for “leveling up” and where he sees both himself and the future of the digital marketing industry headed.

From banking leaders to revolutionaries in the AI space, Suresh covered a lot of ground with his guests in these 10 episodes. Here’s a countdown of our top 10 moments from season 1 of Slaves to the Algo. We recap the age of relevance, and how digital irrelevance is now a trillion-dollar problem. We talk about how data is changing the game everywhere! In board rooms, prototype design, and how we test hypotheses. The rate at which new data is created today simply means that the most impactful algorithms have yet to be conceived. We explore how humans need to guard against our own cognitive biases when writing algorithms, and how to nurture entrepreneurial mindsets for the world to come.

Facebook claims to have 2.7 billion monthly active users. But how many of them are actually ‘synthetic’ (aka fake) profiles? In this episode, we are joined by Jeff Jonas, wizard of big data and founder and CEO of Senzing. Jeff has spent his life dedicated to one thing – entity resolution. The art and science of disambiguating entities. He talks about the intricacies of entity resolution and how it detects people running around with multiple identities. He deep dives into privacy issues surrounding his line of work. And a topic that is extremely relevant in today’s climate: how he’s helped in resolving voter registration duplicates in past US elections. He also talks about the concept of ‘data finds data’ and the way it shapes the algorithms used in Senzing’s AI.

Data culture is as important as organization culture. But the question remains… how does an organization create it? Who leads it? And why is it important? Janardhan Cadambi (Jana) from Mastercard explains why data standards and principles are just as important, if not more so, than organization culture today.  Jana and Suresh also deep dive into concepts in data philanthropy, and how data can, and should be leveraged for the greater good. Personal data is now an emotional asset. Consumers demand and expect transparency in the way companies handle their data. Jana talks about how companies can build a competitive advantage around data privacy and security by being ethical about it. One question remains for consumers. As a consumer, how much do YOU know about how companies like Google and Facebook use YOUR data? And how much should you really care?

We’ve all heard of the age-old adage of the right vs the left brain. In this episode, Tim Kobe, designer and founder of Eight Inc, talks about a new hybrid model that is revolutionary. That there is no real dichotomy between the two halves, and we should use our entire brain in thinking and shaping customer experiences. Similarly, Tim talks about how data and design should not be seen as separate disciplines. He shares a 3-layer model of how to approach human-centered design and value creation: and the core of it is to ensure there is a human outcome. 

Data privacy and security have become some of the biggest considerations in any business strategy. Tim Kobe and Suresh discuss how data is now an emotional asset. Does a brand have my best interests at heart? Do they care about my data security and privacy? Will they sell me out to advertisers? These are all questions consumers have when choosing to support any brand today. He also talks about how the most successful brands are the ones that can communicate their value, and much of it lies in its integrity and ability to build trust with their customers. Tim likens AI to the ‘next electricity’ – where much of the things that will have the biggest impact our lives haven’t been invented yet.

TS Anil, the CEO of Monzo, talks to us about how Monzo designs their customer experience. A digital bank by design, they always start with their desired end state in mind. With a single-minded focus on making money work for everyone (their customers), they optimize their processes and product around their mission. As a veteran banker, he uses his experience to share how legacy systems and thinking can hinder a company’s efforts at advancing their use of data and AI. On the topic of talent, he describes his experience with working with millennials as "working with learners, not the learned". 

He also shares what worries him about the future of AI with where he thinks it's headed. What happens when AI and these algorithms land in the hands of a bad actor? TS calls for sensible regulation in the space of ‘choice’ algorithms and the regulation of new digital banks and fintechs in general.

Recognized in the Forbes list of ‘The World’s Most Influential CMOs’, Ravi Santhanam joins us in this episode to talk about the evolution of AI in the banking sector. Ravi uses his 20+ years of experience to explain how marketing can become more data-driven. The brand message is now decentralized – consumers have enormous power to influence the brand. Just two decades ago, marketers used to control the entire brand message and experience. Today, they are custodians of the brand experience. Ravi suggests how modern marketers can leverage AI to make the customer experience richer without sacrificing the human touch.

Ian Myles of area 51 talks about human cognitive biases, how they affect the way we program algorithms and their unintended consequences. He uses his experience in industrial design, technology, fintech and education to discuss the future of explainable AI (ex-AI) - where mandates are being put in place to ensure that companies are accountable for their use of AI. Ian and Suresh discuss about new AI use cases of in education, healthcare and medicine and hiring practices (human resources).

Ian Myles of area 51 talks about human cognitive biases, how they affect the way we program algorithms and their unintended consequences. He uses his experience in industrial design, technology, fintech and education to discuss the future of explainable AI (ex-AI) - where mandates are being put in place to ensure that companies are accountable for their use of AI. Ian and Suresh discuss about new AI use cases of in education, healthcare and medicine and hiring practices (human resources).

As more marketers advocate how to write copy for a search engine, John offers a refreshing perspective. Brands will become even more important in the world of algorithms. Differentiation now comes from the right-brained side of marketing. He also deep dives into how organizations are hiring more from entrepreneurship schools, than data and computer science.

John Kim is the President of Platform & Marketplaces at Expedia Group.  Essentially, he controls the brain behind Expedia. In this episode, Suresh and John talk about creating AI for everyday use cases with the enormous amounts of data we are generating today.

How do you create great AI that can make use of data that hasn't been even created? How will you prepare for a world where 90% of the data you will have in 2022 doesn't exist today? John Kim of Expedia discusses these matters and why tech giants with the ability to fully personalize end-to-end experiences don’t do it. 

John Kim is the President of Platform & Marketplaces at Expedia Group.  Essentially, he controls the brain behind Expedia. In this episode, Suresh and John talk about creating AI for everyday use cases with the enormous amounts of data we are generating today.

Harvard Business Review calls the 20s the start of the "age of relevance" driven by a new 5Ps. Advances in analytics, big data and AI make it possible for digital disrupters to deliver relevance. Suresh uses his decades-long experience to explain three key ways that digital disruptors like Spotify use data to create unique customer experiences for every single one of their customers. And why traditional enterprises like banks fail to do the same.

Slaves to the Algo is launching this week - and we're excited to announce an exciting line up of guests on the show:

TS Anil, CEO of Monzo Bank

John Kim, President of Platform and Marketplaces of Expedia Group

Ian Myles, CEO of area51

Tim Kobe, Founder and CEO of Eight Inc

Ravi Santhanam, Chief Marketing Officer of HDFC Bank

Jeb Million, VP & Chief Technology Officer of America Express (Middle East and North Africa)

...And more global leaders from top tech, digital and traditional companies.

The launch episode will feature Suresh's views on the new Age of Relevance, and how every person on the planet wants to be celebrated for her / his individuality.

Whether we know it or not, like it or not, our lives have been taken over by algorithms. Slaves to the Algo is Suresh's attempt at demystifying the age of the algorithm. In this new podcast, Suresh will talk to leading professionals in their fields to understand how they are using, or being used, by algorithms in their personal and professional lives.

Suresh Shankar is the founder and CEO of Crayon Data, a leading AI and big data start-up based in Singapore. Crayon Data's flagship platform, maya.ai, is the AI platform powering the age of relevance.