Laurent Cohen (GetOblic) on Trust-First Voice AI, Authenticity, and Building Through Crisis

Host John Duffin interviews Laurent Cohen, founder of GetOblic, about developing a trust-first approach to voice AI and finding an authentic business voice. Cohen shares how living in France, the U.S., and Israel shaped his mindset around craftsmanship, efficiency, and urgency, and discusses feeling safe in Israel despite wartime uncertainty.

Laurent explains that adopting new technology requires earning trust, especially for small businesses operating in constant emergency mode, and argues AI should free owners to focus on customer relationships rather than replace them. Cohen rejects voice cloning as a breach of trust, emphasizing guardrails and strong data instead. He recounts a 2010 e-commerce crisis triggered by an Icelandic volcano and a bank shutdown, stressing responsibility, patience, and time.

Mr. Cohen advises learning with AI first—using it to build skills—before applying it operationally.

To learn more about Laurent Cohen, make sure to check out the links below.

https://getoblic.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurent-cohen-usa/

00:00 Volcano Chaos Lesson

00:55 Podcast Welcome Intro

02:26 Life Across Cultures

04:35 Craft Efficiency Urgency

07:16 Safety And Perspective

11:12 Building With New Tech

15:03 Small Business Trust Shift

20:16 Identity Over Voice

24:02 No Voice Cloning Stance

25:34 Data Guardrails Approach

27:09 Losing Authenticity

29:12 Kids As Motivation

31:00 Surviving Business Crisis

34:01 Volcano Disrupts Shipping

35:45 Chargebacks Kill Payments

37:03 Owning The Mistakes

40:44 Time Craft And Execution

44:27 AI For Service Pros

47:15 Learn With AI First

50:50 Where To Find Laurent

51:47 Final Thanks And Outro