Best Team PolyAI Podcasts (2025)

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071: Differentiation in a generative AI era 20:14

5d ago20:14

20:14

Send us a text Damien and Nikola discuss the brave initiatives taken by executives in the field of generative AI, their successes, and challenges. Nikola Mrkšić, CEO and co-founder of PolyAI, shares insights on differentiation in the generative AI space, the viability of build vs. buy decisions, and the importance of proof of concept in AI projects…

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070: The journey from digital-first to AI-first, and how to do it right 24:03

10d ago24:03

24:03

Send us a text Damien and Nikola discuss the implications of AI-first approaches in industries, with a focus on how companies like Duolingo and Klarna are navigating the AI transformation. We explore the concept of an intelligent enterprise operating system and debate whether traditional companies can adapt quickly enough. Additionally, we examine …

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Building Voice Tech for Education with Mauro Nicolao at Soapbox Labs 22:22

13d ago22:22

22:22

In this conversation, I sit down with Mauro Nicolao, Director of Data Science at Soapbox Labs - a trailblazing company building voice technology designed specifically for children. Recently acquired by Curriculum Associates, Soapbox Labs is now bringing their specialised speech recognition technology to over 13 million students across the US. From …

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069: Announcing Agent Studio, the world's only voice-first conversational AI platform 19:53

1M ago19:53

19:53

Send us a text In this buzzy episode, Damien hosts PolyAI's Senior Vice President of Product, Devidas Desai, to announce the launch of Agent Studio, the world's only voice-first omnichannel CX platform for AI agents. Devidas provides an in-depth look into what Agent Studio is and discusses how the platform has been rigorously tested with live enter…

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068: DOGE bites federal phone lines. Are Elon & Co. shutting down toll-free? 16:46

2M ago16:46

16:46

Send us a text Damien and Nikola are back to discuss the impact of removing toll-free numbers for government services, focusing on the DOGE/Social Security Administration's briefly considered decision. They explore the potential operational and cost-saving implications of voice AI in government services, the challenges of optimizing such large syst…

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Scaling to Series C with Shawn Wen, CTO at PolyAI 28:10

2M ago28:10

28:10

In this conversation, Shawn Wen, co-founder and CTO of PolyAI, shares insights into the journey of building PolyAI into a successful series C AI startup focused on automating phone calls for contact centres. He discusses the early days of PolyAI, the challenges faced in scaling the team, the importance of company culture, and the evolving role of a…

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Empowering Data and AI teams with Chris Pedder from Obrizum 20:41

2M ago20:41

20:41

Find Chris on LinkedIn, and learn about Obrizum. I talk with Chris Pedder from Obrizum. Chris started his career as a Physicist, before moving into AI and Data. He is now Chief Data and AI Officer at Obrizum, who use AI to deliver adaptive learning. In this episode we talk about the behaviours that Chris intentionally fosters in his team, including…

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Conversational AI for Authentic Connections with Sarah Coward 20:06

2M ago20:06

20:06

Find Sarah on LinkedIn, and learn about In The Room by visiting intheroom.global Today we're talking with Sarah Coward from In The Room - who use conversational AI technology to enable organisations to make their best expert available to their audiences 24/7, 365 days a year. We cover: The Origin Story of In the Room The Importance of Authenticity …

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067: Sonnet 3.7 + Orion, AWS goes agentic & the US Patent Office sets rules 20:30

2M ago20:30

20:30

Send us a text Nikola and Damien chew the fat about developments from AI giants Anthropic and OpenAI, comparing their new models: Claude 3.7 and GPT-4.5 Orion, and where they place in the consumer and enterprise markets. We also touch on OAI's specialized agents for hire, Amazon's new agentic AI division and the recent stance of the US Patent Offic…

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ML Platform teams with Prassanna Ravishankar from Papercup 23:26

2M ago23:26

23:26

Find Prass on LinkedIn, and find his Feed Forward podcast on Spotify & YouTube. In this first episode, I talk with Prassanna Ravishankar from Papercup. Prass started his career as a computer vision researcher, before moving into Engineering & MLOps. He now leads the ML platform initiative at Papercup, which is a London-based startup providing AI du…

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066: The anatomy of telephony, part 3 - Predictions 17:14

3M ago17:14

17:14

Send us a text In the closing episode of Deep Learning's deep dive on telephony, Nikola and Oisin discuss innovative ideas in telephony, especially the concept of using a universal AI ringtone to replace lengthy warnings and terms during calls. They debate the efficacy of this idea and its potential global impact on user experience. They also touch…

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065: The anatomy of telephony, part 2 - Evolution 22:06

3M ago22:06

22:06

Send us a text The second episode of a three-part miniseries sees Deep Learning with PolyAI continue exploring the intricate world of telephony and VoIP! Nikola welcomes back Oisin Glenn, VP of Solutions Consulting, to chat about the historical development, current technologies, and the complexities of modern telephony. They discuss everything from…

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064: The anatomy of telephony, part 1 - Origins 23:06

3M ago23:06

23:06

Send us a text Nikola welcomes Oisin Glynn, VP of Solution Consulting, to discuss the fascinating history and evolution of modern telephony. Going back to the inception of telephone systems, from their early manual connections to the adoption of the PSTN and the advent of private branch exchanges (PBX), the conversation touches on the impact of the…

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063: Surprising findings from PolyAI's recent CS trends report 25:02

3M ago25:02

25:02

Send us a text ** Check out the report that inspired the episode ** Damien welcomes PolyAI's senior director of brand, Kylie Whitehead, to discuss the findings from two comprehensive surveys highlighting trends in customer experience (CX) and contact center leadership. Learn about the evolving roles of CX leaders and the increasing influence of AI,…

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062: AI's Sputnik moment? DeepSeek R1 has entered the chat(GPT). 18:47

4M ago18:47

18:47

Send us a text Bonus breaking news episode of the Deep Learning with PolyAI podcast! Hosts Damien and Nikola chat about the recent release of DeepSeek's open-source R1 model, which has sparked widespread reaction across the tech world. The R1 model, created with limited resources, has matched or exceeded benchmarks of leading models from OpenAI and…

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061: An early look at OpenAI's Operator 19:50

4M ago19:50

19:50

Send us a text Kylie takes the helm for this episode of Deep Learning with Poly AI, where she and PolyAI CEO Nikola Mrkšić chat(no GPT) about OpenAI's latest innovation: the Operator agent. From the concept of AI performing tasks such as ordering groceries, booking travel, and making restaurant reservations, to live demos of agentic requests, Kylie…

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060: A deep dive into the UK's AI Opportunities Action Plan 22:30

4M ago22:30

22:30

Send us a text Damien and Nikola (CEO & Co-Founder of PolyAI) talk about the recently announced AI Opportunities Action Plan. The conversation highlights the UK’s historical contributions to AI, the challenges it faces due to American tech dominance, and the strategic moves to build a competitive AI ecosystem. They touch on the importance of infras…

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059: AI in 2024: A really big year in review. 24:40

4M ago24:40

24:40

Send us a text In this episode of 'Deep Learning with PolyAI,' Damien and Nikola reflect on the significant trends in AI throughout 2024, including the rise of generative AI, the stabilization of models, and increased enterprise adoption. They also discuss the importance of customer experience and data management in AI applications. As they look fo…

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058: The rise of CAIOs and AI competency centers 25:43

5M ago25:43

25:43

Send us a text Orgs establishing AI competency centers or hiring Chief AI Officers are heavy in 2025 predictions. Sit beside the fire with Damien and Nikola Mrkšić, CEO and co-founder of PolyAI, in this enlightening episode of Deep Learning with PolyAI, as we tap into the emergence of Chief AI Officers (CAIOs) in organizations, their responsibiliti…

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057: What the #$%& is agentic AI anyway? 21:23

6M ago21:23

21:23

Send us a text Time to decode the buzzterm du jour - in this episode of Deep Learning, Damien and Nikola discuss the emerging (or is it?) concept of agentic AI, and how AI systems that act autonomously and perform complex tasks could transform individual and corporate life. From planning vacations to automating business processes, we talk about the…

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056: The customer service conundrum, as indicated by a bunch of survey data. 23:06

6M ago23:06

23:06

Send us a text In this episode of 'Deep Learning with PolyAI,' host Damien and guest Kylie Whitehead, Senior Director of Brand and Marketing at PolyAI, discuss the evolving expectations of consumers when it comes to customer service, especially in the context of automation. Drawing from key industry survey results, they explore how organizations ca…

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055: PolyAI's VOX Horizons annual conference recap 26:10

6M ago26:10

26:10

Send us a text ** Catch a replay of VOX here: https://poly.ai/vox-2024/ ** Damien and PolyAI CEO Nikola Mrkšić as they rewind to Thursday, November 14th, covering the evolution and challenges of automatic speech recognition in voice AI and automation for contact centers, emerging trends in CX and customer satisfaction, and tips on boosting ops with…

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054: CX horror stories and AI armor for contact center agents 23:31

7M ago23:31

23:31

Send us a text Damien and Nikola talk rising aggression towards contact center agents and the protective role of AI automation. Highlighting alarming stats like 65% of people abandoning brands after one bad experience and a 90% increase in customer service abuse during peak seasons, they address the issue and how AI can deflect initial customer rag…

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053: Generative AI's Power Paradox. Can it prevent its own energy crisis? 19:35

7M ago19:35

19:35

Send us a text In this episode of Deep Learning with PolyAI, join Damien and Nikola as they kibbitz over the immense energy demands of modern data centers powering advanced AI models. They explore how tech giants like Microsoft and Google are turning to nuclear energy, including the potential of fusion power, to meet these needs. From comparing the…

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052: Speech Synthesis - The anatomy of a voice assistant #4 28:46

7M ago28:46

28:46

Send us a text In this concluding episode of the 'Anatomy of a Voice Assistant' series, CTO Shawn Wen discusses the intricacies of speech synthesis in voice assistants, emphasizing the importance of authentic, human-like voices in improving user engagement and containment rates. Kylie and Shawn chat about the evolution of AI voices from the early d…

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051: Secret Agentforce: Declassified! And more from Dreamforce 2024 18:11

8M ago18:11

18:11

Send us a text Our own Brian Thompson, VP of Product Marketing, joins CEO Nikola to discuss Salesforce's recent AgentForce announcement. This new initiative is presented as a big shift toward autonomous AI agents within large enterprises and while at least one the dyad sees it as a rebrand of Einstein Copilot, others may view it as a step towards m…

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050: Dialogue design. So hot right now. 22:45

8M ago22:45

22:45

Send us a text 50th episode! Damien welocmes newcomer to the pod Oliver Shoulson, PolyAI's senior dialogue designer, about what dialogue design entails and why it's crucial in the era of advanced language models (LLMs). Oliver explains that dialogue design goes beyond just scripting responses; it's about making AI interactions feel natural to human…

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049: OpenAI o1, Apple Intelligence, and Exowatt... oh my! 23:54

8M ago23:54

23:54

Send us a text Damien and CEO Nikola Mrkšić discuss recent AI headlines, including Klarna's decision to ditch Salesforce and Workday, Apple's new on-device AI approach and the Apple Intelligence hype, Sam Altman's investment in solar storage, and the big enchilada: an early take of OpenAI's new 'Strawberry' o1 reasoning model, highlighting its impr…

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048: Dissecting the actual impact of the new Council of Europe AI Framework Convention and treaty 27:36

8M ago27:36

27:36

Send us a text Host Damien and PolyAI CEO Nikola Mrkšić discuss the latest in an increasingly vague spate of regulatory actions: this time, the AI Framework Convention treaty from the Council of Europe. The treaty, aiming to balance AI advancements with human rights and democracy, is broken down for its practicality, technological neutrality, and t…

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047: The anatomy of a voice assistant, part 3 - Large language models (LLMs) 27:46

9M ago27:46

27:46

Send us a text It's the third in a series of technical deep dives for building IVAs, and for this episode, it's all about LLMs. Kylie chats with Shawn Wen, co-founder and CTO at PolyAI, who explains why LLMs can accomplish 70% of what’s needed for voice assistants, and more importantly: what's involved in the remaining 30%. The discussion touches o…

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046: What's with the anti-AI movement among some brands, and will it last? 25:34

9M ago25:34

25:34

Send us a text Damien and Nikola chat about the controversial rise of anti-AI sentiment among brands, especially in the creator industry. They explore recent anti-AI pledges by notable brands like Procreate and Dove, scrutinizing whether these are sincere stances or marketing tactics, deliberating the balance between human artistry and technologica…

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045: Conversations with Kenn So, Generational.pub 24:10

9M ago24:10

24:10

Send us a text Damien interviews Kenn So, an AI researcher, enthusiast and author of the Generational substack. Kenn offers insights in to technical trends and consumer expectations of generative AI, happenings in the AI VC/investor space, challenges facing AI startups, and observations in current and future M&A activity. Plus, we learn about Sherl…

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044: Speech Recognition and Spoken Language Understanding (SLU) 33:23

9M ago33:23

33:23

Send us a text In our second technical dive in the the anatomy of a voice assistant, Kylie hosts Shawn Wen, co-founder and CTO of Poly AI, to analyze the complexities of building voice assistants. He highlights the challenges faced in speech recognition, such as dealing with errors, latency, and user experience. Shawn also discusses the inefficienc…

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043: Size Matters - The rise of small language models (SLMs) 19:51

10M ago19:51

19:51

Send us a text Damien and Nikola discuss the evolution and significance of small language models (SLMs) amid the ever-growing landscape of their bigger bretheren, large language models (LLMs). They dissect the predicted rise of SLMs, their applications in privacy-focused and low-power devices, and the implications for enterprises balancing cost, ef…

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042: Breaking Bots - Navigating AI deepfakes during election season and beyond 18:24

10M ago18:24

18:24

Send us a text From political campaigns inundating platforms with AI-generated content to the intricacies of voice AI and deepfake technologies, Damien and Nikola offer practical tips on distinguishing real from fake. Learn how pronunciation differences, odd question prompts, and latency can help you identify AI bots posing as human callers. This e…

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041: The cultural phenomenon (and human acceptance) of automation IRL 23:14

10M ago23:14

23:14

Send us a text Damien welcomes back Michelle Schroeder, SVP of Marketing at PolyAI, to discuss the growing role of automation in daily life and enterprise operations. They explore public perceptions of automation through examples like automated vacuum robots, brain surgery bots, and services like Amazon Go. Emphasizing the dividing line between suc…

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040: The multilayered anatomy of a generative AI voice assistant 25:40

11M ago25:40

25:40

Send us a text It's getting technical up in here! Kylie welcomes PolyAI CTO & Co-Founder Shawn Wen to the show to discuss the complexities of building high-quality voice AI systems. From the limitations of large language models (LLMs) to the nuances across each layer of the tech stack, they'll cover setting up audio channels, streaming speech recog…

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039: Old news is good news for generative AI; Reshaping modern journalism 20:26

11M ago20:26

20:26

Send us a text Damien and Nikola brag about their impressive Duolingo streaks... and then discuss the impact of AI on modern journalism - including issues from OpenAI and Perplexity's data-scraping controversies to the ethical implications on the journalistic landscape. They debate (kind of) over the balance between maintaining journalistic integri…

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038: Decoding McKinsey/QuantumBlack's State of AI 21:17

11M ago21:17

21:17

Send us a text Guest host Steven Fine and series regular Nikola Mrkšić discuss the current landscape of AI adoption in businesses, drawing on McKinsey's recent The State of AI report. They explore topics such as the rapid increase in generative AI usage, the challenges of integrating AI into existing business workflows, and the debate over building…

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037: Guiding effective worker utilization of generative AI tools 27:34

11M ago27:34

27:34

Send us a text Damien outs himself as a generative AI avatar (not really though), while he and PolyAI CEO Nikola Mrkšić discuss the growing workforce adoption of generative AI in modern enterprises. They explore the pros and cons, including overcoming discovery issues, optimal use cases across various business functions, training and governance, an…

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036: Keeping AI prominent in big tech alliances 19:12

12M ago19:12

19:12

Send us a text Damien welcomes Michael Chen, Vice President of Alliances at PolyAI, to chat working with big tech platforms to deploy conversational AI solutions for millions of users. The episode highlights the difficulties in transitioning these solutions from sandbox environments to large-scale production, the inherent challenge of probabilistic…

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035: Artificial General Intelligence, six months later 28:21

12M ago28:21

28:21

Send us a text Damien and Nikola from PolyAI chat about the past six months of artificial general intelligence (AGI) progress. Key points of fiery discussion include the definition and goals of AGI, the recent advancements in multimodality in AI, and the significant progress in the industry over the past six months. They explore the exponential imp…

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034: The ScarJo Effect - Maintaining and Protecting Voice Agency in an AI World 20:51

12M ago20:51

20:51

Send us a text New guest, who dis? This episode, Damien invites Nathan Liu, VP of Deployments at PolyAI, discusses the company's approach to making the world's most lifelike voice assistant, emphasizing the synergy between AI and human voice actors to enhance voice assistant quality while safeguarding actors' interests. The conversation touches on …

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033: PolyAI's Series C Raise & GPT-4o 23:35

1y ago23:35

23:35

Send us a text In this episode of the 'Deep Learning with PolyAI' podcast, Nikola and Damien discuss PolyAI's recent $50 million Series C funding round led by NVIDIA's NVentures, alongside other notable investors. They explore the company's growth, innovative engineering, and the future of voice AI technology. The conversation also touches upon the…

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032: Conversations featuring Brian Jeppesen, Fertitta Entertainment 23:45

1y ago23:45

23:45

Send us a text Damien welcomes Fertitta Entertainment's contact center director Brian Jeppesen to the pod to discuss Brian's long career in customer service, the nuances of the casino-hoteling industry, and why roadblocking by IVR is an outdated approach. Introducing: Conversations - a collection of provocative chats with the next generation of CX …

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031: Generative AI in the Contact Center - Build or Buy? 29:52

1y ago29:52

29:52

Send us a text Damien and Nikola tackle the age-old tech question: should enterprise contact centers build or buy AI solutions? They cover pros and cons considered in the decision-making process, highlighting the importance of established vendors, internal capabilities, technological advancements, user experience, and the need for accountability an…

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030: How the future of measuring success in the contact center requires AI 26:20

1y ago26:20

26:20

Send us a text Damien welcomes Business Value Analyst Steven Fine to the pod and discusses the evolution of measuring success in contact centers, focusing on integrating AI and automation technologies to improve customer experience and operational efficiency. Their chat emphasizes the importance of marrying sentiment analysis with Customer Satisfac…

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029: What is 'AI washing' and how you can (and should) avoid it 25:35

1y ago25:35

25:35

Send us a text Today's chat between Nikola and Damien delves into the concept of 'AI washing,' where companies exaggerate their level of investment in AI technology to capitalize on the current hype. The episode covers the evolution of AI, the challenge of distinguishing genuine AI applications from superficial ones, the potential need for regulati…

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028: NLP vs NLP, or AI and the art of human persuasion 23:23

1y ago23:23

23:23

Send us a text Nikola and Damien delve into the topic of humanizing technology and AI, touching upon the preference for non-human interactions in vulnerable states, the challenges of identifying automated systems during conversations, and the importance of transparency in AI interactions. Opinions on the potential cultural impacts of humanized AI, …

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027: Managing disruptive change, ships in the tech navy, and big maverick energy 27:29

1y ago27:29

27:29

Send us a text In today's episode, Michelle and Nikola discuss the challenges and strategies involved in managing disruptive change, particularly related to deploying AI in large businesses. Their talk emphasizes the importance of champions within organizations, the role of companies like Accenture, starting small to de-risk projects, and the impac…

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Team PolyAI Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen