The All Turtles Podcast

Latest Episodes:

023: Ghost in the Shell Apr 11, 2018

Show notes

Artificial intelligence may never do away with life's two guarantees: death and taxes. But AI is changing the way people process them; memorial chatbots, for example, can take a loved one's emails, social media, texts, and videos to create a digital facsimile of the dearly departed. And there are so many ways that AI, in theory, could make paying taxes less painful. Along the way hosts Phil Libin, Jessica Collier, and Blaise Zerega respond to listener questions about Walmart's patent for drone bees and AI in France.

Show notes

Welcome

Ready Player One trailer (1:37)

Isle of Dogs trailer (1:45)

Dogs in the All Turtles office (1:58)

Listener correction (2:45)

All Turtles Podcast Episode 21, where "barrel" instead of "bunch" was used to describe those affected by the actions of one bad individual (skip to 16:30)

Memorial chatbots discussion (4:42)

Swedish funeral agency seeks participants for memorial chatbots (4:50)

Wired cover story on James Vlahos's Dadbot (5:53)

The Verge story on Eugenia Kyuda's Roman bot (6:40)

Shameless plug (19:33)

Subscribe to the All Turtles newsletter here, for a weekly collection of news and analysis about AI and entrepreneurship, complete with AT job listings!

Taxes and practical AI (20:58)

IRS Audits Drop To Lowest Level Since 2002 news report on WBUR(21:19)

H&R Block using Watson to process tax returns (21:54)

Credit Karma using AI (21:59)

Conversation with Josh Browder from DoNotPay from Episode 21 (skip to 14:34) (22:27)

Listener questions (29:11)

What's up with Walmart patenting drone bees? Do they really intend on stepping into the AI arena, or do you think it's just a ploy to remain relevant to consumers in a retail apocalypse environment? (29:20)

Last week, President Macron of France made a public announcement of €1.5 billion to support AI projects and called for the creation of a national program. Previously, he attended the opening of Station F and has been very public of his support for tech. What's All Turtles' French strategy, and how will it give value and visibility to French developers in light of this recent news? (31:01)

We want to hear from you

Please send us your comments, suggested topics, and questions for future episodes:

Email: hello@all-turtles.com

Twitter: @allturtlesco with hashtag #askAT

For more from All Turtles, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to our newsletter on our website.

022: Little Giants Apr 04, 2018

Show notes

Artificial intelligence can render the concept of scale meaningless and enable startups to compete with global giants. Investor Hemant Taneja explains how size becomes a liability in his new book, Unscaled. Hosts Phil Libin, Jessica Collier, and Blaise Zerega also share everyday encounters with AI including autocomplete successes and disasters. Along the way, they respond to a listener question about regulating Facebook following the Cambridge Analytica data scandal.

Show notes

Everyday encounters with artificial intelligence

Google sheet autocomplete on iOS (2:21)

Email autocomplete fail (4:24)

The Amy meeting scheduler bot fail (6:36)

Conversation with General Catalyst managing director Hemant Taneja, author of Unscaled (10:19)

General Catalyst A venture capital firm with offices in Silicon Valley, New York, and Boston.

Unscaled: How A.I. and a New Generation of Upstarts Are Creating the Economy of the Future, by Hemant Taneja (10:36)

AngelList (16:35)

Livongo A service for people with chronic illnesses to monitor their health. (18:32)

Ep. 5: Raging Bull Maybe it's kind of B.S.: Personalization (skip to 15:35) (21:51)

Hemant's three bits of advice for entrepreneurs (30:10)

Listener Questions

Facebook was already operating under a 2011 consent decree with the FTC about sharing people's data without their permission. Given the Cambridge Analytica scandal, and the fact that this week Zuckerberg stated that he was open to being regulated, should Facebook's use of AI be regulated? What might that look like? (32:39)

Zuckerberg open to being regulated (New York)

Finally! For a while, I thought the All Turtles Subreddit was in the same category as flying unicorns and Daft Punk playing at the trash fence... but I finally found it! Seriously though... this is super hard to find, and you don't link to it from anywhere else. (39:10)

The All Turtles Subreddit

We want to hear from you

Please send us your comments, suggested topics, and questions for future episodes:

Email: hello@all-turtles.com

Twitter: @allturtlesco with hashtag #askAT

For more from All Turtles, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to our newsletter on our website.

021: The Antisocial Network Mar 28, 2018

Show notes

The Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal. It's not a breach, it's not artificial intelligence. Instead, it's a logical result of the social network's business model where users and their data are the product being sold. Also, our in-house patent expert Leonid Kitainik provides advice for entrepreneurs seeking to protect their intellectual property. Listener questions include whether Bitcoin will become the world's single currency and how voice interfaces may change computing and work.

Show Notes

The Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal (1:41)

The Cambridge Analytica files: the story so far (The Guardian) (1:50)

How to delete apps from your Facebook profile (Facebook) (4:45)

Mark Zuckerberg's statement on "the Cambridge Analytica situation" (Facebook) (9:42)

Conversation with Leonid Kitainik, vice president of intellectual property at All Turtles (17:12)

10 million patents (18:38)

Previous discussion on patents - Episode 14: Pillow Fort Apache, The Bronx (17:24) (skip to 4:24)

Patent requirements (29:20)

Listener questions (42:37)

How do we have to rethink creating work for the Internet when a big chunk of it will be interfaced via voice? What new challenges come up that upend almost 30 years of UX knowledge for a mostly visual and type- and touch-based interaction with machines? How will work change with voice interface? (42:45)

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said in an interview that he believes Bitcoin will become the world's single currency. Is @Jack on crack? What do you think of this prediction? (46:15)

We want to hear from you

Please send us your comments, suggested topics, and questions for future episodes:

Email: hello@all-turtles.com

Twitter: @allturtlesco with hashtag #askAT

For more from All Turtles, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to our newsletter on our website.

020: A Few Good Bots Mar 21, 2018

Show notes

DoNotPay is a chatbot that has helped people beat more than 500,000 parking tickets and can now help you get a lower airfare after you've booked a flight. We talk with the startup's founder and CEO Josh Browder about also helping refugees apply for visas and his vision for a lawyer-free future. Phil Libin, Blaise Zerega, and guest host Cathy Dinas recap a trip to Japan, debate the portrayal of AI in the Netflix series Black Mirror, and consider whether hiring a PR firm early in a product's lifecycle is really just, well, BS.

Show notes

Postcard from Japan (3:43)

Phil's hotel room key in Osaka

Pocketalk translation device used by Phil and Cathy

Pocketalk, SourceNext Releases 50 Languages Translation Device

Pocketalk audio featured in All Turtles Podcast Episode 2 (skip to 6:55)

Conversation with Josh Browder, Founder and CEO of DoNotPay (14:34)

DoNotPay.com (company web site)

Josh Browder on the Daily Show with Trevor Noah: Disrupting the Legal System with Robots (video)

A new tool uses legal loopholes to get you cheaper flights by checking prices 17,000 times a day (Business Insider)

Phil's refugee story (video)

Listener questions

Black Mirror - does it interest you? What AI shown in the series is most attainable or realistic? (36:00)

Black Mirror Season 4 Trailer (video)

Is hiring a PR firm bullshit early in the product's lifecycle? (42:17)

We want to hear from you

Please send us your comments, suggested topics, and questions for future episodes:

Email: hello@all-turtles.com

Twitter: @allturtlesco with hashtag #askAT

For more from All Turtles, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to our newsletter on our website.

019: Chucky Mar 14, 2018

Show notes

How close are we to an "Infocalypse" when AI-created audio and video present an alternative version of history? What happens to trust when facts are indistinguishable from fiction? Who controls the message? It's a topic with roots in an early American novel when the fear wasn't AI, but -- get this -- ventriloquism. Hosts Phil Libin, Jessica Collier, and Blaise Zerega debate the potential for this scenario and possible solutions. They also explain why the studio model is well-suited for building AI products. Listener questions include the origins of the All Turtles name and whether we're living in a simulation.

Show notes

The threat of AI-generated audio and video to produce fake news (01:32)

He Predicted The 2016 Fake News Crisis. Now He's Worried About An Information Apocalypse. (Buzzfeed)

Synthesizing Obama: Learning Lip Sync from Audio -- video teaser (YouTube)

Synthesizing Obama: Learning Lip Sync from Audio (University of Washington)

Wieland and Memoirs of Carwin the Biloquist by Charles Brockden Brown (Goodreads)

Fake Voices Will Become Worryingly Accurate (The Rand Blog)

Discussion of Human voice or AI-generated voice? (Episode 14, 18:17)

Defining your terms: Studio (12:16)

The Silicon Valley method isn't enough: A better way to build products by Phil Libin (All Turtles)

Phil Libin exits General Catalyst for All Turtles, a new AI 'startup studio' (TechCrunch)

Listener questions

Where does the name All Turtles come from and why don't you have more fun with it? (20:18)

Are we living in a simulation? (24:04)

Elon Musk on Simulation Theory, at Code Conference 2016 (YouTube)

A Dream Within a Dream by Edgar Allan Poe (Poetry Foundation)

Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard (Goodreads)

Credits

Paul Hardcastle's 1985 song "19" (YouTube)

We want to hear from you

Please send us your comments, suggested topics, and questions for future episodes:

Email: hello@all-turtles.com

Twitter: @allturtlesco with hashtag #askAT

For more from All Turtles, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to our newsletter on our website.

018: Brocast News Mar 07, 2018

Show notes

This episode kicks off our book club discussion of Brotopia, which reveals that sex parties are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to gender discrimination in Silicon Valley. Hosts Phil Libin, Jessica Collier, and Blaise Zerega share their strong reactions to the reporting, history, and advocacy contained in Emily Chang's book. Along the way, they delight in the ways AI improves reading the New York Times, our grammar, and keeping track of one's schedule. Responding to listener questions, your hosts lay bets on a timeline for human birth in space, and how to maintain privacy in an age of Alexa.

Show notes

Everyday encounters with artificial intelligence

New York Times (2:35)

100 Notable Books of 2017 (NYT)

Like Grammarly but it shouts at you (5:18)

Grammarly (company web site)

Auto-suggested events in calendars (8:20)

How to create calendar events from emails (LifeWire)

Book club discussion: Brotopia by Emily Chang (13:11)

Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys' Club of Silicon Valley (GoodReads)

In 'Brotopia,' Silicon Valley Disrupts Everything but the Boys' Club (NYT Book Review)

"Oh my God, this is so f--ed up": Inside Silicon Valley's Secretive, Orgiastic Dark Side (Vanity Fair)

Apple's "1984" television commercial (YouTube)

Listener Questions

When do you think someone will be born in space? (31:07)

What percentage of the population is concerned with their privacy in a time of Alexa devices, Nest cameras, and the like? (33:19)

We want to hear from you

Please send us your comments, suggested topics, and questions for future episodes:

Email: hello@all-turtles.com

Twitter: @allturtlesco with hashtag #askAT

For more from All Turtles, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to our newsletter on our website.

017: Police Academy 2 Feb 28, 2018

Show notes

At age 42, after co-founding one of the world's largest wireless carriers and leading it to an IPO, Augie Fabela enrolled at a police academy. Today, Fabela serves as a Chief of Police for the Cook County's Sheriff Department. Hosts Phil Libin, Jessica Collier, and Blaise Zerega talk with Chief Fabela about using community engagement to reduce gun violence, including an esports project (with involvement from All Turtles). In a "Maybe it's kinda B.S." segment, your hosts dissect so-called ID theft protection services. Listener questions include ways to learn new things and to become more efficient.

Show notes

Phil Libin: "I retire a joke." (0:20)

Time travel (Wikipedia)

ID theft protection: Maybe it's kinda bullshit? (2:59)

Millions of People Post Comments on Federal Regulations. Many Are Fake. (Wall Street Journal)

LifeLock (company website)

Credit Karma (company website)

Part two of our conversation with Augie Fabela, Co-founder and CEO of FastForward.ai, and Chief of Police at the Cook County Sheriff's Department (10:16)

Augie K. Fabela II bio (LinkedIn)

DECIDE: Tactical Crisis Decision Making: A Framework For Law Enforcement by Augie Fabela (Amazon)

On Chicago's South Side, Shootings Are Way Down...And Here's The Reason Why (HuffPost)

(Left to right) Sheriff of Cook County Tom Dart, All Turtles CEO Phil Libin, Chief of Police at the Cook County Sheriff Department Augie Fabela.

FastForward.ai (company website)

Listener questions

What tactics do you use for learning new things and being more efficient? (30:14)

Halo Neuroscience (company website)

What are you looking for in founders who want to join All Turtles? (38:38)

We want to hear from you

Please send us your comments, suggested topics, and questions for future episodes:

Email: hello@all-turtles.com

Twitter: @allturtlesco with hashtag #askAT

For more from All Turtles, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to our newsletter on our website.

016: Police Academy 1 Feb 21, 2018

Show notes

Outside the United States, about 4.5 billion people use prepaid wireless phone services. We check in with Augie Fabela, co-founder and CEO of FastForward.ai, which aims to reinvent the prepaid customer experience. Along the way, Phil Libin, Jessica Collier, and Blaise Zerega offer "Advice to Politicians" about social media and the recent U.S. indictment of 13 Russians for interference in the 2016 election. Your hosts also explore the connection between artificial intelligence and issues of race, gender, and inequality.

Show notes

Advice to politicians: Get off Facebook and Twitter (2:10)

13 Russians Indicted as Mueller Reveals Effort to Aid Trump Campaign (New York Times)

After Florida School Shooting, Russian 'Bot' Army Pounced (New York Times)

Part one of our conversation with Augie Fabela, co-founder and CEO of FastForward.ai, and Chief of Police at the Cook County Sheriff's Department (15:45)

Augie Fabela (LinkedIn)

VEON

Motorola brick phones from the early 1990s (Wikipedia)

FastForward.ai

USSD codes and menus for prepaid calling services (Wikipedia)

Sample USSD codes for Thailand

Prepaid card market expected to reach $3,653 billion by 2022 (Allied Market Research)

Listener comment and question

Why do you focus so much on the issues of race, gender, and inequality? (38:46)

We want to hear from you

Please send us your comments, suggested topics, and questions for future episodes:

Email: hello@all-turtles.com

Twitter: @allturtlesco with hashtag #askAT

For more from All Turtles, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to our newsletter on our website.

015: Spotlight Feb 14, 2018

Show notes

As public reckonings with harassment and discrimination abound, it's becoming clear that the vast majority of these incidents go unreported. We check in with Dr. Julia Shaw, co-founder and Chief Scientist of Spot, a just-launched harassment reporting tool that aims to fix this. Along the way, hosts Phil Libin, Jessica Collier, and Blaise Zerega discuss the likelihoods for artificial general intelligence and artificial super intelligence, which some people have likened to God. We also announce the first selection for our Book Club: Brotopia.

Show notes

Announcing the All Turtles Book Club's first selection (1:11)

The three nominees were:

Magic and Loss: The Internet as Art by Virginia Heffernan

How Music Works by David Byrne

Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys' Club of Silicon Valley by Emily Chang

And the winner is: Brotopia. Join us next time for our debut book club discussion.

Artificial narrow intelligence, artificial general intelligence, artificial super intelligence (2:42)

The AI Revolution: The Road to Superintelligence - Part One (Wait But Why)

The AI Revolution: The Road to Superintelligence - Part Two (Wait But Why)

Conversation with Dr. Julia Shaw, co-founder and Chief Scientist of Spot (11:03)

Spot (website)

Spot launches a chatbot to combat workplace harassment (VentureBeat)

A new (and free) chatbot may help employees report instances of harassment (Washington Post)

This Chatbot Will Take Your Harassment Claims To HR Anonymously (Fast Company)

A collision of two realities (33:29)

The City & the City by China Miéville

Listener questions

How can developers avoid unconscious bias and make sure that AI is respectful to everyone? (34:25)

Can practical AI help virtuous people make virtuous products? (40:10)

Preparing to sign-off a la Elon Musk (46:24)

Live Views of Starman (YouTube)

We want to hear from you

Please send us your comments, suggested topics, and questions for future episodes:

Email: hello@all-turtles.com

Twitter: @allturtlesco with hashtag #askAT

For more from All Turtles, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to our newsletter on our website.

014: Pillow Fort Apache, The Bronx Feb 07, 2018

Show notes

We kick off the show with a call for listener suggestions to select our first read for The All Turtles Book Club. Phil Libin, Jessica Collier, and Blaise Zerega then dive into a "Maybe it's kinda bullshit?" segment on patents, asking whether they've outlived their usefulness. Your hosts also try to distinguish between human and AI-generated voices. This week's listener questions lead to revelations about Phil's 100,000 unread emails, Jessica's knowledge of container ship videos, and whether Blaise is named for St. Blaise or Blaise Pascal.

Show notes

Listener suggestions for the All Turtles Book Club (1:30)

Magic and Loss: The Internet as Art by Virginia Heffernan

The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett

Safety: Car Crashes Pose Greater Risk for Women by Nicholas Bakalar, New York Times

How Music Works by David Byrne

Patents: Maybe they're kinda bullshit? (4:24)

U.S. Constitution, Article One, Section Eight: [The Congress shall have power] "To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries."

United States Patent and Trademark Office

First U.S. Patent issued in 1790

Patent kings: The world's 50 most innovative companies (USA Today)

Apple was Granted 39 Patents Today covering Facial Recognition and the iPad Pro's Smart Keyboard Connector and more (Patently Apple)

Human voice or AI-generated voice? (18:17)

Google's voice-generating AI is now indistinguishable from humans (Quartz)

Fake Voices Will Become Worryingly Accurate (The Rand Blog)

Wieland: or, The Transformation: An American Tale by Charles Brockden Brown, published 1798

Audio samples from Tacotron 2 (Google's Github page)

Uncanny valley (Wikipedia)

Love in the Time of Robots (Wired)

Interrobang in punctuation