Future of Voice

Open Voice Executive director Jon Stine chats with Angela Diffly. With over 20 years as a thought leader, writer and communications professional, Angela Diffly most recently co-founded the Restaurant Technology Network (RTN), the foremost growth and networking organization for restaurant executives and technology providers. Angela is passionate about innovative technologies and is especially bullish on robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and computer vision used ethically to advance societies and solve world challenges. She has been recognized as a Digital Disruptor by QSR Magazine and was named Top Woman in Food by Lunchbox. As a Forbes Business Council contributor, she has reported on business and technology trends, particularly in the restaurant and retail industries. We're so delighted to have Angela as our guest for the 16th episode of the Future of Voice Podcast, recorded in October 2023.

Dr. Chris Landon, Clinical Adjunct Professor of Development and Behavioral Pediatrics at the Keck Medical School of University of Southern California and Director of Pediatrics at the Family Medicine Residency of Ventura County Medical Center, joins us for episode 15 of the Future of Voice Podcast! Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, many hospitals and medical centers took leaps forward in the world of telemedicine and voice-enabled capabilities. Patients are now more familiar with video conferencing and consulting with their doctors through a digital screen – but there are still several key areas where the patient care gap remains. This summer, we had the honor of welcoming Dr. Landon to our weekly Health, Wellness, & Life Sciences Community meeting for a special presentation on bridging the patient care gap with wearable devices and voice technology. We hope you enjoy this interview with Dr. Landon, Jon Stine, and several members of our HWLS Community! The Future of Voice Podcast is hosted by Jon Stine, Executive Director of the Open Voice Network, a community of The Linux Foundation. The Open Voice Network is dedicated to making voice and Conversational AI worthy of user trust. Learn more at openvoicenetwork.org.

Shilp Agarwal, Co-Founder and CEO of Blutag, returns for another episode of the Future of Voice Podcast! The last time Shilp visited the podcast, we discussed the shopping experience and how voice might intersect with that customer journey. While many organizations equate the value of voice solely to the transaction, it’s Shilp’s philosophy that there’s much more value that can be generated aside from just revenue – including tasks and preferences that make up a customer’s shopping behavior. As this type of user-centric data is captured, brands will change how customers build their carts and participate in the overall shopping experience. Join us as Shilp shares further insight into the customer journey, the role of generative AI in digital commerce and shopping, and the next milestones we’ll see from large language models as they relate to retail and ecommerce. The Future of Voice Podcast is hosted by Jon Stine, Executive Director of the Open Voice Network, a community of The Linux Foundation. The Open Voice Network is dedicated to making voice and Conversational AI worthy of user trust. Learn more at openvoicenetwork.org.

Ken Sutton, Co-Founder, President, and CEO of Yobe, Inc., joins us for Episode 13 of the Future of Voice Podcast! One of the Open Voice Network’s most important pillars of trustworthy voice and conversational AI is accessibility for underserved groups. This mindset, along with a project to help a friend’s autistic son be able to enjoy music inside the cabin of a car, is what Ken describes as the “genesis” to the organization he co-founded – Yobe, Inc. In the years since, Yobe has reframed their innovative technologies to find and extract useful data from conversational audio – even audio that is created in noisy environments where typical conversational agents often struggle. Join us as Ken shares more details on the inception of Yobe, how the organization is showing their clients the value of extracted voice data, and other use cases where conversational AI can enhance the user experience in noisy environments. The Future of Voice Podcast is hosted by Jon Stine, Executive Director of the Open Voice Network, a community of The Linux Foundation. The Open Voice Network is dedicated to making voice and Conversational AI worthy of user trust. Learn more at openvoicenetwork.org.

Dr. David Metcalf of UCF's Institute for Simulation and Training and Dr. Dexter Hadley of UCF's College of Medicine join us for Episode 12 of the Future of Voice Podcast! As the popularity and knowledge of generative AI and large language models continues to rise, the primary question for many stakeholders is moving from "what is it?" to "how will we use it?" – and the implications for consumers and healthcare professionals therein. Our guests examine some of the biggest opportunities the healthcare industry faces in regards to Conversational AI, as well as the risks that will be present now and in the future. We also discuss what tools and processes healthcare organizations can take now to address these critical issues, and how trust – for data, privacy – must become paramount in order to improve patient outcomes across the board. The Future of Voice Podcast is hosted by Jon Stine, Executive Director of the Open Voice Network, a community of The Linux Foundation. The Open Voice Network is dedicated to making voice and Conversational AI worthy of user trust. Learn more at openvoicenetwork.org.

Anil Lewis, Executive Director for Blindness Initiatives at the National Federation of the Blind, joins us for Episode 11 of the Future of Voice Podcast. One of the core beliefs of the National Federation of the Blind is that "blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future." Our guest Anil Lewis takes this a step further by adding, "blindness won't hold you back, but your lack of access to information will." For individuals who were born with or have developed physical or cognitive disabilities later in life, voice technologies have become essential to accessing information and increasing accessibility in the work environment and in everyday life. On this Global Accessibility Awareness Day, we examine the key intersections where voice and Conversational AI are enabling individuals with disabilities to participate, overcome bias, and find inclusion among their peers. The Future of Voice Podcast is hosted by Jon Stine, Executive Director of the Open Voice Network, a community of The Linux Foundation. The Open Voice Network is dedicated to making voice worthy of user trust. Learn more at openvoicenetwork.org.

Yalim Eriştiren, Regional Director, North America at Sestek, joins us for Episode 10 of the Future of Voice Podcast. With voice being the most innate form of communication between human beings, it’s only natural that many of our thoughts and emotions seep into the words we speak. What if we could extract these feelings and use them to better communicate with the individuals with whom we’re speaking? This is just what Yalim and Sestek are working to achieve. By performing a caller sentiment analysis, the organization is able make note of tone, tension, acoustics, and more to better understand the caller’s mindset and adjust the response of a conversational agent accordingly. Today we look at the possibilities this technology will lead to, along with use cases that show how these processes can help us improve processes and overall communication. The Future of Voice Podcast is hosted by Jon Stine, Executive Director of the Open Voice Network, a community of The Linux Foundation. The Open Voice Network is dedicated to making voice worthy of user trust. Learn more at openvoicenetwork.org.

Megan Burns, Strategic Business Connector & Marketing Consultant at Megan Burns Biz and Catalyst at Azafran Capital Partners, joins us for Episode 9 of the Future of Voice Podcast. As Conversational AI becomes more commonplace across major industries, businesses are looking for ways to create value and solve problems. It’s easy to get caught up in the technology side of the innovation – “how do we make it better, faster, smarter” – but the organizations who are finding solutions are more focused on integration and how this technology can enhance their legacy systems and processes that already exist within their organization. Today we look at what’s shifting within the Conversational AI landscape and what components and characteristics businesses must have in place to integrate this technology efficiently and see returns on their investment. The Future of Voice Podcast is hosted by Jon Stine, Executive Director of the Open Voice Network, a community of The Linux Foundation. The Open Voice Network is dedicated to making voice worthy of user trust. Learn more at openvoicenetwork.org.

Shilp Agarwal, Co-Founder and CEO of Blutag, joins us for Episode 8 of the Future of Voice Podcast. Nearly everyone who uses the internet is familiar with the various ways brands use data to provide further value to their customers – whether it's through tailored newsletters, abandoned shopping cart reminders, or product recommendations based on purchase behavior. Providing existing customers with value is more important than ever, and finding ways to utilize conversational commerce is at the forefront of customer retention strategies for leading brands. With the rise of smart speakers and conversational AI, customers are now using voice to complete tasks and get things done. Today we look at how brands can use this data to create an elevated customer experience, enhance customer loyalty, and directly impact customer retention revenue. The Future of Voice Podcast is hosted by Jon Stine, Executive Director of the Open Voice Network, a community of The Linux Foundation. The Open Voice Network is dedicated to making voice worthy of user trust. Learn more at openvoicenetwork.org.

Hans van Dam, CEO of the Conversation Design Institute and Co-Founder of the Conversational Academy, joins us for Episode 7 of the Future of Voice Podcast. Have you ever had a conversation with a chatbot? You may not think about in the moment, but every Conversational AI experience is designed to help you achieve your goals. Conversation design is an essential piece of ensuring a positive user experience, whether you're working with a basic chatbot to help you navigate to an FAQ page or you're engaging with ChatGPT to help generate dialogs. How do words affect us? How do certain phrases shape our behavior? Understanding this framework is the key to increasing motivation, influence, and better outcomes for users. The Future of Voice Podcast is hosted by Jon Stine, Executive Director of the Open Voice Network, a community of The Linux Foundation. The Open Voice Network is dedicated to making voice worthy of user trust. Learn more at openvoicenetwork.org.