Can a machine learn empathy? In this episode of A Desire to Be Helpful, Marie Toft, CEO of Emotionise AI, shares her journey from live TV to leading a startup training AI to communicate with emotional intelligence.

She explains how their custom model helps businesses improve tone, connection and trust—especially in customer service and internal comms. We explore the challenges of synthetic data, the value of human-touch datasets and why Claude might have more personality than your last manager.

If you're building with AI or buying it, Marie offers essential advice on doing it ethically - and effectively.

🎙 Hosted by Phil Black and Brian Hanley
💡 Guest: Marie Toft, CEO of Emotionise AI

Follow for more helpful ways for human and digital intelligence to work better together.

Meet Greg Michelson, whose fascinating journey from Baptist minister to PhD statistician to AI innovator challenges everything you think you know about career paths in tech. After helping accelerate COVID-19 vaccine trials through innovative forecasting models at DataRobot, Greg co-founded Zerve to solve a critical problem in AI development: the inefficiency of traditional tools. In this episode, he shares candid insights about why many data scientists are trapped in "Stockholm syndrome" with outdated tools, how collaborative development environments are revolutionising AI projects, and what software engineers need to focus on in an AI-driven world. Whether you're a technical leader looking to accelerate AI adoption or a practitioner interested in the future of development tools, this episode offers practical insights about building and deploying AI solutions at enterprise scale.

In this episode, we interview our own Brian White Starrs. Brian discusses the evolution of software engineering, the impact of AI on development, and the challenges of implementing AI solutions in enterprises. The conversation delves into testing and design in AI, strategic approaches to AI adoption, and predictions for the future of engineering roles in the context of AI advancements.  

Sam Hatoum explores narrative-driven development, behaviour-driven development, and generative AI’s role in transforming software engineering. He discusses bridging high-level requirements with code, using narratives to streamline the development process, and shifting from instructing computers how to work to defining what needs to be done. Sam also highlights the growing community that is advancing this innovative approach.

Enda Murtagh, Head of Business Transformation at Permanent TSB, discusses the challenges and opportunities of transforming large, slow-moving companies and implementing AI. He emphasises the importance of understanding the size and scale of change required and getting buy-in from employees. Enda also highlights the need for transparency and explainability in AI models, particularly in the banking sector, where trust and customer protection are paramount. 

Akash Sharma, the CEO and founder of Vellum, discusses the challenges enterprises face in taking LLM applications to production. He highlights the 4 pillars of successful LLM development: experimentation, evaluation, deployment, and monitoring. Akash also discusses the most common use case of chatbots and the potential of multi-agent architectures.

Ben Hoskins, CTO of NewStore, shares insights on the intersection of AI and software engineering. Ben discusses the impact of AI on developer productivity and the changing role of engineers. He also highlights the need to bound AI problems and avoid tackling unbounded problems. He opens up about his career and recommends engineers maintain their sense of exploration and have fun with AI.

In this episode of “A Desire to be Helpful,” Phil and Brian discuss the intersection of AI, data, and business strategy with Anna Gevergyan. Anna shares her experience leading transformation projects with petabytes of data at companies like Expedia and advising startups. She delves into the challenges businesses face when adopting new technologies, emphasising the importance of strategic alignment, cultural shifts, and cross-functional collaboration.

In this episode, we are delighted to speak with Jora Gill. Jora has held many technology leadership and executive positions for well-known brands such as the Economist, S&P and Elsevier, and serves on a number of boards advising on technology. He’s recently launched a new company and product using AI to make lives easier for citizens in Scotland. We hope you enjoy this latest episode of “A desire to be helpful”.