Podcasts about The Jetsons

As the property management industry continues to evolve, it's important to stay up to date on the latest innovations in technology. In this episode of the #DoorGrowShow, property management growth expert Jason Hull sits down with David Normand from Vendoroo to talk about AI's role in the future of property management. You'll Learn [01:29] The AI Revolution [08:47] The Importance of Empathy and Human Touch [22:21] Decreasing the Cost of Maintenance Coordination [32:29] New Features Coming to Vendoroo Quotables “As any property manager believes, we know how to do it the best.” “If you're not reading articles and studying up on this, I think that's going to catch you by surprise pretty quickly.” “Empathy is the magic lubrication that makes everything better.” “Empathetic reflection and empathy is a magical ingredient.” Resources DoorGrow and Scale Mastermind DoorGrow Academy DoorGrow on YouTube DoorGrowClub DoorGrowLive Transcript [00:00:00] David: If you're not building AI tools from working with your partners, from being on the ground floor with them and using the data and building tools based upon the data and their pain points and their failures, buyer beware. If somebody's coming to you and saying, Hey, we figured this all out in the lab. [00:00:14] David: Come use it. Yeah. Right. Buyer beware. [00:00:18] Jason: All right. Welcome property management entrepreneurs to the DoorGrow Show or the Property Management Growth podcast. I'm Jason Hull, the founder and CEO of DoorGrow, the world's leading and most comprehensive group coaching mastermind for residential property management entrepreneurs. We've been doing this for over a decade and a half. [00:00:39] Jason: I've brought innovative strategies and optimizations to the property management industry. I have spoken to thousands of property management companies. I've coached over 600 businesses. I've rebranded over 300 companies like Bar Rescue for property managers, cleaning up their businesses, and we would love to help coach you and support you and your growth. [00:01:01] Jason: We have innovative strategies for building out growth engines, for building out your operational challenges, for helping you figure out how to get to the next level in your business and one of the cool tools that I'm excited to showcase today with my guest here, David Norman, is Vendoroo. We've had you on the show before. [00:01:19] Jason: Welcome back David.  [00:01:20] David: Yeah. Thank you for having me. It felt like years ago, it was only about, I think eight months ago since we did this, so much has changed over the time, so it's great to be back. Yeah, it's great to be back.  [00:01:29] Jason: Good to have you. I know you're in the middle of this AI revolution, which AI is just innovating and changing so rapidly. It probably does feel like years ago, so, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's been crazy. You guys have made a lot of changes too, so, you even changed your brand name from the last time we had you on the show. Yeah. Which was I think Tulu. Yeah. Right. And so, yeah. So why don't you get us caught up on what's going on 'cause, you know, there's been a lot.  [00:01:55] David: Yeah. Yeah. Thank you first of all for having me here today, Jason, and from the entire Vendoroo group of us, which, you know, the team has grown 10 x over the past eight months, which has been awesome. And I just also wanted to start in thanking everybody from what we call our client partners who have jumped in into this great unknown that is AI and is going to be like, how is this going to work in our industry? And so that's really what we've been focusing on the past eight months. You know, it's been a unbelievable journey of both failures, successes learnings and insights. And ultimately we're getting excited here at the NARPM broker owner which is in Denver to unveil Vendoroo. Like this is the coming out party. And so we're super excited if you're going to be there. We have a massive booth that we have set up that we have the ai alliance with other people that are working in the AI space, and I really hope that you guys come over and check it out. I promise this. [00:02:53] David: You'll never see a booth or a display like we have set up. At the NARPM broker owner. So.  [00:02:58] Jason: Now I want to go attend it. Yeah. Just so I can see your booth.  [00:03:01] David: So, let me put it this way. You may see the robot from the Jetsons walking around the booth walking around the NARPM broker owner, so, okay. [00:03:07] David: Yeah. Rosie? Yeah. You may see something like that. So she'll be vacuuming with her apron? Yeah. She'll be doing a little social engagement. It'll be cool. So, okay. Okay.  [00:03:17] Jason: Yeah. Very cool. Yeah, so catch us up on what, like, let's get into the kind of the background and the overview for people that have never heard about Vendoroo and what you guys do and how you got into this. [00:03:29] Jason: Yeah. Give people kind of the backstory. Yeah.  [00:03:31] David: Yeah. Thank you for that. So really the backstory is that, you know, we know of this AI economy that's coming, right? And there was a few of us, you know, I've been in this industry for 18 years. You know, I've managed you know, portfolios of 40,000 doors. [00:03:47] David: I've managed them for governments. You know, I started off with our own property management. Much like you guys. We started off with 80 doors. We grew to 550 doors in four years. So it was exciting to know that technology that was coming that promised duplication because, you know, as any property manager believes, we know how to do it the best, right. [00:04:05] David: And so what we decided to do is to come together and say, Hey, if AI's coming, there's two things that we need to figure out. Number one is how is this going to help us show value in this new industry to this new generation of property owners that is here, that is coming, that has been raised in the technology world too, right? [00:04:25] David: And two, can it actually duplicate our efforts? Can it actually be an employee for us? Right? And I don't care what people are promising about ai, you don't know until you get into what we call like, you know, get into the weeds, you got to get into the trenches. And so that's what we did, right? We went out and we were the guys that grabbed the torch and we said, we are going to take all the risk. [00:04:46] David: We are going to jump into the mix. We're going to ask people to jump onto the bandwagon with us and we're going to figure this out. And oh my gosh, what an unbelievable eight months it has been in learning and insights. And I can't wait to get into all the things that we've learned about the property management industry. [00:05:01] David: But that's really what we've been focusing on here the past eight months, right? So we started off with well hey, can the AI assist the va? Can it turn them into a super va? Is that what it's going to be? And, you know, some people were like, yay. And some people were like nay, you know? And so, and you know, because that human failure still was there, right? [00:05:21] David: And you know, what happens if they left? There was that inconsistency. And then it was like, all right, well what can the AI own? Right? What can it do? What can it perfect? And you know, can AI actually be the last employee that I ever hire? Right. That's really, that's a really cool thing to do. [00:05:39] David: But the property managing community had some really specific demands that they said that if this is going to be the last employee that I've had, it has to do this. And that's what I'm excited about our new technology 'cause it's doing those things. You know? [00:05:52] Jason: Yeah. And now you guys have made some big moves. I know, like I've, I have clients that we've sent over to you and they've shared some incredible stories. Like one client, I think he had 154 units or something like under management, and he said in the first day you're of turning on Vendoroo, like it closed out like 80 something work orders. [00:06:12] Jason: Yeah, like, it was crazy. Another client, they had a little more doors. They said it was like 50 something work orders were closed out in the first day of turning it on. And so, I mean, you're creating some dramatic stuff. Like this is a very different thing than what people are used to in maintenance. [00:06:27] David: Yeah. Yeah. And really what the exciting part about this, Jason, is that maintenance is actually really easy. And I know people laugh when I say that it's managing communications that is extremely difficult. Okay. Okay. Right, because you have, you know what AI told us about our industry over the last eight months is when we dove in with it and it took a step back and it said, whoa, you guys don't have a data problem here. [00:06:51] David: You guys have a emotion problem here. There's very specific categories of emotion that are in this space, right? Like, how do you build a technology that senses something? And I know this relates with property managers, 'cause I know this for myself. A property manager can walk into their office, sit down at their desk, and their spidey senses go off and they know something's wrong. [00:07:15] David: There's no screen that's telling them anything. There's no spreadsheet. They know something's off. Right. And so the AI is like, well, the statuses really don't matter that much to me based upon the feedback that I'm seeing from the property managers. Because the status and the communication all seem to be in order, but there's a disruption somewhere. [00:07:35] David: So I need to know about people's emotions. I need to understand about is the resident happy? Does the owner feel supported? Is the vendor being directed? And does the property manager believe that I can own the outcome for this? And it was really cool to start seeing its learning and understanding and picking up on these cues where, you know, people say that this is a data-driven industry. [00:07:55] David: It's really in an emotion driven industry.  [00:07:57] Jason: Oh yeah. It's a relationship and emotion industry for sure. Yeah. Yeah, big time.  [00:08:01] David: And it's really cool to see, and it's really started happening over this past last 60 days, the amount of residents, I was actually just looking at one before I jumped on here, that are like thanking the system, right? [00:08:15] David: Imagine that, like think of all of us that actually worked with the chat bot at like Verizon. I've never thanked that chatbot at Verizon for being their customer service. Right.  [00:08:25] Jason: And how do I get a representative? Representative. Representative!  [00:08:28] David: Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Versus you seeing people, you know, seeing individuals saying to the, you know, saying to the Vendoroo maintenance coordinator, Hey, I really appreciate feeling supported and how fast you acted because you know, there's empathy that's inside of its law and learning. So I don't want to get too much into the details on there. But yeah, these are some of the exciting things that we're working on.  [00:08:47] Jason: I mean, empathy is the magic lubrication that makes everything better. [00:08:52] David: Yeah,  [00:08:52] Jason: I mean they, they've done studies. Teams, even in working in warehouses, are more productive if the team has a higher level of empathy. Yeah. And doctors perform better. Yeah. If there's a higher level of empathy, there's less malpractice suits, like empathetic reflection and empathy is a magical ingredient. [00:09:10] Jason: I coach clients to add that in during sales. Yeah. 'cause their close rate goes up dramatically. Yeah. Right. So yeah. So leveraging and like getting the AI to actually be empathetic in its communication. Yeah. When that's probably not a natural skill for a lot of maintenance coordinators to be empathetic. [00:09:26] David: It's not, it's not a natural skill for a lot of people in the maintenance industry. Right? Yes. Especially when you talk about burnout. People begin developing views of the rental community, right? Like, oh my gosh, they're calling again, and that empathy meter goes lower and lower and lower. [00:09:41] David: Yeah. As people have been in the industry longer. But isn't it great that you have an employee now that knows that, yeah, it's my duty, rain or shine, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 a year to always operate at the highest level of empathy? I never have a bad day. I never take a day off. [00:09:57] David: I'm never upset. I'm never short with somebody on the phone, never tired, never like, oh my gosh, Susan is calling me again. I'm going to let the phone just ring because I'm annoyed of talking to her. And it just is constantly hitting that same level of standard. And this is what's exciting to me, is that there are people that that have played around with this and have been a part of what I call the pain phase, right? [00:10:20] David: The pain phase is that understanding the way that agentic AI works, right? It's input in output. Input, output, right? The more that you're putting into it, the better the results are that you're going to get out of it, okay? Right. It's just like training an employee. So over the last eight months, what we've seen is that the community has trained this to be the level of a person that has now been working in the industry for five years. [00:10:46] David: In eight months. It's got five years of learning in eight months. Okay. Wow. In the next six to 12 months, we're probably looking at somebody that has 10 to 15 years understanding in the next six to 12 months and understand the level of type of tasks that it can do, especially getting into estimates and getting some other work. [00:11:04] David: And again, just you know, having empathy in my own life towards the people that jumped in that are like, what is this all about? Like, how does AI fail? Like, you know, there's still people that are involved and it was like this big like momentous train of like, you know, all these people were jumping on and giving ideas and people are in the loop and now it's weeding everything out and the AI stepping in and saying. [00:11:27] David: Hey, I appreciate all the input that you've given me. Thank you for all your effort. I'm now ready to step up to the plate and to own the outcome. Right. And that's what we're seeing at the NARPM show that's coming out. There's five AI tools. There's a master agent, five AI tools. And you know, I'll give you a couple of pieces here that, you know, we had feedback from our property managers like number one across the board. [00:11:50] David: A property manager said, if I'm hiring AI as my last employee, that has to work in my system. Yeah. Okay. Right. Like I don't want another, I don't want another technology. Yeah.  [00:11:59] Jason: I don't want a new system I got to get every vendor to use or a new system I got to get my team to use or figure out. We don't need another tool to make our lives more difficult. [00:12:08] Jason: No. They've got to use our stuff.  [00:12:09] David: They got to use, we have our existing stack. Yeah. So now the AI is fully integrated into all the most common PMS systems. You know, you have a cool chrome extension that you can download and there's a little yellow kangaroo right right there. And it's actually reading the work order that you're working on, and you can literally just ask it a question now and just being like, Hey, did anybody express frustration or concern on this work order? [00:12:32] David: Right? Because that's the emotion behind the status that you need to know. And it's like, yeah, two days ago Sally said that, you know, she was actually really frustrated about the multiple reschedules by this vendor. And it's like, great, that's a person I should be reaching out to and that's what I should be knowing that a status is never going to tell you. [00:12:47] David: Right? Yeah. It's in your slack, right? So if I have, if I'm on my phone, I'm talking to my employee and I'm laying in bed and I have a panic attack as a property manager, and I'm like, oh my gosh, did we take care of John's refrigerator and the office is closed? I can't get ahold of my employee. Yeah, you can. [00:13:03] David: Your employee works 24 7 now. Hey, can you give me an update on the refrigerator replacement at John's place? Yeah, it was scheduled this day. I contacted John. Everything's good to go. You know, go to sleep. You know, like, like that's the power. Full audit. Full syncing. So it's in your platform. That's really cool. [00:13:21] David: The other thing, it's got to be branded, right? This is a thing that we really learned about, like how important branding is to the community of property managers, right? Yeah. So the communications that go out have to be from your area code that's done. The emails that go out have to have like, you know, your company name and your logo on it. [00:13:39] David: The AI is doing that as well too. So that's being sent out, which is really cool. So people are feeling like, you know, that loyalty to brand is super important. And also do you know now that the AI can ask the residents to give a Google Review and we can link to the Google reviews and give you instant Google reviews to your page through the ai, which is cool, like how it's, it will know that if the success of a Google review is high on the way that the work order was done, that it's probably best to ask this person and it will send them a little thing. [00:14:11] David: Hey, can we get a feedback from you? And we link up to your Google review. And it posts that Google review to generate those 'cause we know those are super, super valuable to property managers. So that's actually going out today. That's kind of a little teaser there. That's the emails out now. [00:14:23] Jason: Nice. We'll have to get you to also connect it to our gather kudos links for clients 'cause then people can pick which review sites. So it diversifies the review profile.  [00:14:32] David: Love it. Love that. I'm going to hook you up with our guy Dotan. He's running that. He's one of our head of product. He's, actually out of Israel. [00:14:39] David: He's a amazing guy. I'd love to get you connected with him. Yeah. Cool. Let's do it. Cool. And then the biggest one too is like, I need a single point of contact. Right. And we knew that before there was a lot of people were still involved. There was a lot of oversight that was going on there, having that confusion and single point of contact. [00:14:56] David: Now it's in your phone, it's in your Slack, it's in your phone extension. It doesn't matter what's going on. You have one point of contact. It's your employee. You ask the question, get the answer, Jason, you can even ask for a change. You can even say, Hey, I want to change a vendor on a job and you'll see that the vendor gets changed for you in the system. [00:15:17] David: You can even say to your ai, and this is the big one: hey how do you triage this work order? And I want you to do this, or I want you to do that. And you just do it right through Slack or right through your PM chat and it makes the change for you. And now you have custom triage and all property managers have the ability to train their own AI for their company. [00:15:36] David: Think how cool that is. A person with 75 doors now, and the product that's being released has their own AI agent customized for their company, right? Yeah. Like, that's what happened over the last eight months, so you can see my excitement. There's been a lot of hard work in this. [00:15:54] David: Yeah, that's amazing. But this has been all the effort and a huge thank you out to everybody who's tried us, you know, even said that this wasn't for them at that point in time because those learnings went into what's going to make this product the best product in the property management space and is going to help people leverage sales and leverage efficiencies and blow their owners' minds away in ways that, that we have never thought about. [00:16:15] David: Oh yeah.  [00:16:16] Jason: Yeah. So I know like initially when you rolled this out, a lot of people were nervous about AI and you guys had kind of a human layer in between the AI and any communication Yeah, initially. Yeah. And so there was like, they had like a reps and a lot of people associated, oh, I've got this rep. [00:16:33] Jason: Yeah. You know, Steven or whatever is my rep or Pedro and I've got Pedro and like, oh no, what if Pedro leaves? And they were associating with that while the AI is really doing the crux of the work. Right. And so you guys have shifted away from even that now the AI is directly communicating with people. [00:16:52] Jason: Correct? Yeah.  [00:16:53] David: Yeah. So let's talk about that. So, definitely, so in the beginning there was like, we all had like lack of trust. We believed what it was going to do, but it was like we had a ton of people still trying, like, you know, using qualified VAs, training them. Like, you know, like, you know, if it fails, like, you know, you have to have a person stepped in and so let's talk about that. [00:17:12] David: So, you know, it was definitely that human layer. And let's talk about where we're at today. It is very clear to us, and the one thing that separates us from everybody is we still believe that humans are super important in this process. Okay? Yeah. And where humans are very important in this process are going to be when the AI says, Hey, I need you to make a phone call to this person for me, right? [00:17:35] David: Hey, I've reached out to this vendor three times and they haven't responded yet. I need you to give a phone call to see what's going on. Right? Hey, I need you to recruit a vendor for me. I need you to reach out and do a recruitment for the vendor. For me. Hey, this owner is asking questions about this estimate. [00:17:51] David: I need you to give a call for me. So the AI is basically able, on a standard work order, the AI can handle 95% of the workflow, no problem. Work order comes in, gets assigned to the resident. It gets out to the vendor. It's under the NTE not to exceed. It's great. The work gets done, the resident uploads its photos, the AI says to the resident, are you happy? [00:18:14] David: Everyone's good. It closes the work order out. Cool. Right. And then if a human...  [00:18:19] Jason: and how is it communicating with the tenant and with the vendor typically? [00:18:24] David: Yep. So, it's very clear that and this isn't a surprise to anybody. Everybody loves text messages, right? Yeah. I mean, that's just, it's just what it is. [00:18:32] David: You literally, like, people will get a phone call and they won't pick up and the text will come back and like text back. Yeah, text me. What do you need? Yeah. Text me here. But, so here's the things that people don't see behind the scenes that we'll talk about. So the complexity that went into. [00:18:51] David: Mapping out how to allow vendors... so a vendor could have like 20 jobs, right? And we don't want to send him like a code that he has to text for every work order so that it links to the right work order. Like what guy wants to do that? Okay. Like that's not how he works. So we figured out how to allow a vendor through AI just to use his regular phone and text anything about this thing. And it's understanding it and it's mapping it, it's routing it to all those work orders because we knew that in order for this to be the last employee somebody would have to handle, it also means that the vendor has to be happy and the same for the resident. [00:19:30] David: They can just text that they have multiple work orders. It understands what work order it's going to. If it's not quite sure, I would ask them, Hey, is this question about this work order? And they say, yeah. And so there's not like, again, codes and links and things that they have to do. It has to be seamless if they're working with a person. [00:19:46] David: So yeah, text message is massive. Email is second, and then phone is third for sure.  [00:19:51] Jason: Got it. So is your AI system calling people yet or you or telling the property manager to make the phone call?  [00:19:58] David: Yeah. People are okay with. If they're calling in like our new front desk agent, which if a person calls in and they want to get information about a listing or if they want to get information about a work order or something like that, or, you know, they're okay with getting that type of information. [00:20:13] David: Yeah. But they are, it is very clear that they are not okay with AI calling them when they're asking for an update on a work order like that. Like that line in the sand very clear. Yeah. And so we have people on on the team. That are constantly monitoring into ai, giving feedback, hitting improvement. [00:20:31] David: I want everybody to know there is not a work order that is taking place that is not touched by a human at least twice.  [00:20:38] Jason: Okay.  [00:20:39] David: Okay. Right.  [00:20:40] Jason: So there's a little, there's some oversight there. There there's, you're watching this, there are humans involved  [00:20:45] David: And then the ai will when it hits certain fail points, right? [00:20:51] David: It then escalates those things up to what we call the human in the loop, right? So there's an AI assistant, we there's people now that we're training a whole new generation of people that are no longer going to be maintenance coordinators. They're AI assistants now, right? And so when the AI says, Hey, this work order is not going down the path that I think it should go to be successful. [00:21:12] David: I'm escalating this up to a human, and so now as a property manager, not only am I getting this AI agent workflow that's standardizing the empathy and the workflows and all the stuff that we talked about in the communications, I also now get a fractional employee that when the AI says, Hey, I need help, I already have an employee that it can reach out to that can make that phone call or call the vendor. [00:21:36] David: But it's also monitoring the AI for me on top of it. So yes, there is, and that's one of the big thing that separates us apart is that the platform comes with what we call a human in the loop, an expert in the loop and so we're training the first generation of AI assistants in the property management industry. [00:21:55] David: Yep.  [00:21:56] Jason: Got it. So the AI maintenance coordinator. Has human assistance. Yep. Underneath it.  [00:22:02] David: And before it was the other way around where Yeah. The AI was assisting the human right. And now the humans are assisting the ai. That's what's happened in the last...  [00:22:11] Jason: that may be the future of all of our roles. [00:22:12] Jason: So,  [00:22:13] David: If you're not reading articles and studying up on this I think that's going to catch you by surprise pretty quickly. Yeah. Learn how to write prompts. I'll tell everybody right now. Yes.  [00:22:21] Jason: Yeah. Interesting. So, now what about this, you know, there's the uncanny, you know, sort of stage where people get a little bit nervous about AI and what do they call it? The uncanny valley or something like this, or right where it gets, it's so close to human that it becomes creepy. And there's some people that have fear about this, that are concerned. You're going to have a lot of late, you know, adopters that are like resistant. "I'll never do ai." [00:22:49] Jason: What would you say to somebody when you get on a sales call and they're like, well, I'm really nervous about this AI stuff, you know, and they just, they don't get it.  [00:22:57] David: Yeah.  [00:22:58] Jason: I'm sure there's people listening right now. They're like, oh man, AI is going to kill us all and it's going to take over the world and it's going to take our jobs. [00:23:05] Jason: And they think it's evil.  [00:23:06] David: Yeah. Yeah. I, and you know, I really want to hear that fear and I want to like, again, have empathy towards that. 'cause I do understand that fear of change causes people to get... Change in general. Yes. Right. It's like, whoa, I like everything the way it's going to be. Right. And we are historically in one of those phases of like, you know, the industrial revolution, the renaissance, like the automobile from horse. [00:23:34] David: Like, this is what is taking place. This is, this will be written down in history. It's massive change. It's a massive change. Massive. So what I would say to them, and not to, not from a way of fear. But to inspire them is there are a lot of hungry entrepreneurs out there that are embracing this head on. [00:23:57] David: Yeah. That are pushing the boundaries and the limits to be able to bring insights and customer service to their clients at a much higher level. And if you want to compete in this new AI economy. I would definitely encourage you to understand and get in and start investing in yourself now. But understand that investing in AI means having some pain threshold. [00:24:21] David: Like you got to get in, like you, you need to be able to give the feedback. You need to understand that if it falls short, do you have to be able to give it the time and the energy and the reward and the payoff of what I'm seeing for property managers who've embraced that when they're sitting there and they're going, I don't touch maintenance at all anymore. Yeah, it's wild. Right? And those are the people that in the beginning of this relationship, and there's a few that come to my head, are the ones that were sending me emails constantly saying, David, this is failing me. I believe in this, but this is failing me. And as my technology partner, I know that you're going to help us get this better. [00:24:58] David: And there is, you know, I have this word down that struggle equals great con conversation, right? Like, and so they had a struggle and that opened up a great conversation and because of that, their technology and the technology is getting better. So yeah, I think that from a personal point of view in this industry, one thing that I want to solve with AI is I think that we can all say that over the past 15 years, we've probably yelled at a lot of vendors or yelled at a lot of VAs or yelled at a lot of people. Let's start yelling at the ai. And then hopefully that the AI will actually eliminate the need for us to ever have to yell at anybody again because it knows us. [00:25:36] David: Yeah. It never fails us.  [00:25:38] Jason: You know? It really is amazing. I mean, your company is creating freedom for the business owner from being involved in maintenance. Yeah. Really?  [00:25:46] David: Yeah.  [00:25:47] Jason: And it just, and they get used to that pretty quickly. Like maintenance is just running and they're like, yeah. It frees up so much head space for them to focus on growth. [00:25:56] Jason: It gives them a whole bunch of like just greater capacity. Yeah. So they feel like, yeah, we could handle adding any number of doors now and we know we can still fulfill and do a good job.  [00:26:07] David: Yeah. Fixed cost scaling. Right? That's a term that we came up with is now that you know that I have a price per door that will cover all my maintenance. So if I went in and brought on 75 doors, I know that I don't have to go out and hire another employee. The system just grows with it and I know exactly what my margin is for all those doors. Right. And as we know previous, before fixed cost scaling a property managers is like, I have enough people. [00:26:32] David: I don't have enough people. Someone quit, someone didn't quit. My profit margins are good. My profit margins are bad. Yeah. And now with these AI tools. You know, you have your front desk employee, you have your maintenance coordinator, you have these fixed cost scales, and now somebody calls you up and says, Hey, I want you to take on 25 doors, and you're like, I have the resource resources for maintenance, which is, we know is 80% of the workload already. I don't have to go out and hire another maintenance coordinator 'cause the system just grows with me, which is cool.  [00:27:00] Jason: So one of the things you shared at DoorGrow Live and you're our top sponsor for the upcoming... Can't wait for DoorGrow Live, can't wait to, so we're really excited to have you back so. [00:27:10] Jason: Everybody make sure you're at DoorGrow Live if you want. Our theme this year is innovating the future of property management. And we're bringing, we're going to be showcasing, innovating pricing structures that are different than how property managers have typically historically priced, that allow you to lower your operational costs and close more deals more easily at a higher price point. [00:27:30] Jason: We're, we'll be showcasing a three tier hybrid pricing model that we've innovated here at DoorGrow, and we've got clients using it. It's been a game changer. We're going to be sharing other cool things about the future hiring systems, et cetera. Right. So you guys will also be there showcasing the future. [00:27:46] Jason: One of the things you shared previously that really kind of struck me as you showed, you did some research and you showed the typical cost. Per unit that most companies had just to cover and deal with maintenance. Yeah. And and then what you were able to get it down to.  [00:28:03] David: Yeah.  [00:28:04] Jason: And that alone was just like a bit of a mind blowing. [00:28:07] Jason: Could you just share a little bit of numbers here?  [00:28:09] David: Yeah. So one of the first things that we had to do when we started way back in the day is figure out well. Like, like what's the impact of AI going to be us from like a cost perspective, right? Is it a huge change? And so we went out on a big survey mission and we were surveying property managers and asking them, what's your cost per door for managing maintenance? [00:28:30] David: How much do you spend every door to manage maintenance? Now the first thing is less than 1% of property managers knew what that cost was. Sure.  [00:28:37] Jason: Oh, sure. Right. Because, but then they got to figure out, oh, we got a maintenance coordinator and we've got these people doing phone calls and they cost this, and yeah, it's complicated. [00:28:45] David: It's complicated. So we built a calculator. Okay. And then people could start adding in that information out into the calculator, and the average person was around $13 and 50 cents a door.  [00:28:56] Jason: Okay. Okay.  [00:28:57] David: Wow. Right, right. So that was where the average person was, somewhere in the low twenties. Yeah. [00:29:01] David: And others were actually pretty good. Like, I'd say like, you know, some of the good ones that we saw were maybe around like, you know, 10, $11 a door or something along that line.  [00:29:09] Jason: They probably had a large portfolio would be my guess.  [00:29:12] David: Yeah. And also I think a lot of it's just like, you know, I don't know if they were still accounting for all their software and everything that they had. [00:29:19] David: Maybe they're not factoring everything. Yeah. No, I think if we really dug in, it'd be different. So now we know that, you know, the base package of what people are getting in. The average cost of what people are paying for 24 7 services that's emergencies around the clock is about $7 and 50 cents a door, right? [00:29:37] David: So right off the bat in AI's first swing, it said we cut the cost in half. Yeah. Okay. Right. So 50% reduction. I mean, to me as an owner, a 50% reduction in cost. That's like. You know, alarms and celebration going off, you know? For sure. And then, yeah.  [00:29:55] Jason: And that's, if everything just stayed the same, like it was still the same level of quality, cutting in half would be a solid win right there. [00:30:03] Jason: Yeah.  [00:30:03] David: Yeah. That's just like status quo stuff. And now what, with the release of the new Vendoroo product that, that's actually being announced here today. The email's going out to all of our existing clients of all the new features that are coming out now, we're starting to see that. You know that quality is now increasing to where if you were to go out and hire that person, you may have to be spending, you know, 55,000 or $65,000 a year. [00:30:29] David: Right? So now it's like saying, okay, if we can get as good as what these people are using for their VAs right, and we know what that cost is, and they're saying that's, you know, that's what their factors is. Well, what happens in the next six to 12 months when this is a seasoned person that you would've to pay $85,000 a year to? [00:30:45] David: Right. Yeah. And right, because they have knowledge of. Estimates and knowledge of vendor routing and knowledge of, you know, it can handle...  [00:30:53] Jason: you've invested so much time into them, so much attention. They know your properties and know your portfolio. They know the vendors. Like you've invested so much into this person that now they sort of have you by the balls so that they're like, Hey, I want 80 k or I walk.  [00:31:06] David: Yeah.  [00:31:06] Jason: You're like, you've got to come up with it.  [00:31:08] David: Yeah.  [00:31:09] Jason: Right. You've got to do it.  [00:31:10] David: Yeah.  [00:31:10] Jason: And you know, because that's not easy to create. And a lot of people, in order to have a good maintenance coordinator, they need a veteran of the industry. Veteran of industry. [00:31:19] Jason: They need somebody that's been doing this a long time.  [00:31:21] David: Yeah.  [00:31:22] Jason: And that's really hard to find.  [00:31:24] David: Yes. It's extremely hard to find as we know. One of the things that I think that we're doing for this industry is we're actually preserving knowledge that I don't think is necessary getting passed down. [00:31:33] David: Yeah. You know, there's a lot less people that I think are as handy as they once were in the Americas and so we have a lot of that knowledge. Like, you know, we know that the average age of an electrician is in the sixties, the average age of a plumber's in the sixties. And these guys, you know, they have wealth of knowledge that it can troubleshoot anything that's going on in a house. [00:31:54] David: And so to be able to try to preserve some of that, so maybe if a person does come in, you know, maybe there's some knowledge sharing along the lines. But let's take it even in another step forward Jason that in the future, you know, the AI is going to know the location of the hot water tank in that house. [00:32:10] David: It's going to then add it automatically to the system, like. It's going to know more knowledge than they will because it's going to have maps of every single property that's all currently sitting inside of, you know, that maintenance coordinator's head, right? And so it's going to, it's going to actually know more than them, you know. [00:32:26] Jason: Yeah. That's wild. Yeah, it is. Absolutely. It's the future. Cool. Well, you're rolling out a bunch of new features. You're announcing these today. You've told me a little bit, but why don't you tell the listeners what's changing, what's new, what innovations have come out? What are you guys launching? [00:32:41] David: Yeah. Exciting. Yeah. So, the biggest one I think is, which is the most exciting is, is Resiroo, which is the first one that actually handles all the communications with the resident and does the triage and troubleshooting. First one of what are you talking about? So we have our products. [00:32:57] David: So you have these AI tools, right? These agents. Right.  [00:33:00] Jason: And so, you know, every, so think of them like different sort of people?  [00:33:04] David: Skill sets. Yeah. Different person. Okay. Exactly. And so that's when you come and see our display at the NARPM conference, you'll actually will see these five agents kind of in their work desk and in their environments, kind of cool. [00:33:15] David: Okay. Able to see them right. So the coolest part about that one is we're doing a major product you know, update on that for not only the knowledge base, but we're actually turning that over to the company. We were talking about this a little bit before, and now they own their own AI agent and they can customize it into how they want it to ask questions or the type of questions and the mindsets when it's triaging stuff. [00:33:41] David: Triaging work orders for their portfolio. Like super cool. So fully customizable to your company, right?  [00:33:49] Jason: So now sometimes the more humans get involved, the more they mess stuff up.  [00:33:54] David: Yes. We make sure they don't mess it up. So everyone's going to learn how to write prompts and they'll submit it into us. [00:33:59] David: And we have a great team of AI engineers that when that knowledge base is written or what they're doing. We will ensure that it is put in so that it actually produces the desire outcome, right? Yeah. Yeah. So that's a very exciting one. The second one that I'm that I think is so cool, do you know that only 10% of all estimates get approved by the owner without one or multiple questions? [00:34:23] David: Because owners really struggle with trust when it comes to estimates. Like 10%. Like, that's a really bad number, I felt as the industry that owners only believe us one out of 10 times. Like that's the way I took that. Yeah. Right. And so, Owneroo is what I coined inside, is the estimate of the future. [00:34:41] David: That really was looking in understanding like what was, what questions was the owner asking when they were rejecting a bid that that we could proactively ask the answer for them to help guide them to understanding the value in this estimate that they're looking at in historical context of the property. [00:35:00] David: How many other people have experienced this issue? Like, like there's a whole bunch of factors that should go into an estimate and an estimate should no longer be like, here's a cost from Frank. Right? Like, like that was like, like that was...  [00:35:14] Jason: here's what Frank said it is. Yeah. Like that was like from the 1940s. [00:35:17] Jason: That's good. How do I trust that?  [00:35:18] David: How do I trust that? That was from the forties and we're still...  [00:35:21] Jason: how much went into this decision? Was this just out of the blue, like pulled out of your ass or is this like legit?  [00:35:27] David: Yeah. Yeah. What's the, you know, we live in a data-driven world, so what's the intellect behind this estimate? [00:35:33] David: And so I'm really excited about Owneroo, which is going to be the new standard for the way the estimates are created. We have the front desk agent which is coming out. So, that one is going to handle phone calls that are coming in, be able to talk about available listings, actual general questions about leases route phone calls over to property managers for you. [00:35:54] David: So again. Very human-like interaction, great AI voice. Actually. We feel it's going to be the best in the industry. So a person's calling in, just like they're calling your office able to handle all those front desk things. We, we have the PM chat, which is now the employee which is fully integrated into all of your systems. [00:36:14] David: It's in Slack. That's your employee that you get to talk to. We believe that if you're going to hire somebody, they should be inside of your communication channels. You have the Google Chrome extension that it's on right inside your AppFolio or your buildium or your Rentvine software that you can ask and talk to it. [00:36:31] David: So, yeah, so we have a lot of exciting products that have come out. And then of course the backbone of all of them in the middle is Vendoroo, which handles all the scheduling, all the communications. You know, a resident asks for an update, responds to them, an owner asks for an update, it responds to them. [00:36:48] David: And you know, it handles actually the body of the work order. So you have those five tools, we believe are what the property management industry said. If you are going to give me an employee, this is what the employee has to be. This is what makes up that employee. So we say that these tools, these agents were actually built by the property management industry. [00:37:08] David: And that excites me because if you're not building AI tools from working with your partners, from being on the ground floor with them and using the data and building tools based upon the data and their pain points and their failures, buyer beware. If somebody's coming to you and saying, Hey, we figured this all out in the lab. [00:37:25] David: Come use it. Yeah. Right. Buyer beware.  [00:37:29] Jason: Yeah. So you guys connect with Slack. They can communicate through Slack, but it slack's a paid tool. Have you guys considered Telegram? I love Telegram Messenger.  [00:37:37] Jason: Alright. Could you do that? Write it down. Telegram Messenger is like the iMessage tool that works on every device. [00:37:44] Jason: It's free. It's one of the most secure, it's not owned or controlled by Facebook. Like, WhatsApp, like, yeah. But WhatsApp might be a close second, but we use Telegram internally, so I love Telegram.  [00:37:58] David: We'll definitely take that into, into consideration for sure. Yeah, check it  [00:38:02] Jason: out. Because I, what I love is the voice message feature and I can just listen to my team and others at like high speed, but internal communications and it's free for everybody, which is great. [00:38:12] Jason: So, yeah.  [00:38:13] David: Yeah. I think a lot, for a lot of people it was like you know, who was Vendoroo in the beginning and Vendoroo was like the team of like people that were trying to figure out like how is AI going to work in this industry? [00:38:26] David: How is it going to solve the needs of our property management partners? And this is why I say to everybody, if you thought about Vendoroo, if you came in and the experience wasn't great with Vendoroo, if you're one of our existing clients that has been with us and you're and you're still moving forward, and we thank you so much for your dedication to this, the Vendoroo product, everything that we've done, everything that we worked at is being showcased at the NARPM broker owner. The email's going out today. This is who Vendoroo is. We are a team that is a technology partner for the property management industry that is helping building meaningful AI tools, specifically by demand, by our industry to help us show value and to preserve this great industry. [00:39:09] David: For the future in this new AI economy, right? Like we need to step up. We have clients that are adding doors left and right because they're showing their clients that they use an AI maintenance system and their clients are like, this is what I expect from a property management in this community. [00:39:24] David: Right? And again, Owneroo, that estimate, we believe that in the future. Like, like owners are going to say like, I'm not approving an estimate unless it's like the estimate of the future, right? Like, like that's the new standard. So you got to know what the new standards are and you got to get technology that are going to help you compete with those new standards that will be in your community and are will be in your community in the next week, the next two weeks. [00:39:46] David: And definitely some really cool products in the next six months.  [00:39:49] Jason: All right. Well, yeah, I'm really excited to see what you guys have been able to create so far. So yeah, it's pretty awesome. Yeah. All right. Well David, it's been awesome having you on the show. Sounds like you guys are really innovating the future. Everybody come to DoorGrow Live. David, are you going to be at that one? I will be there. All right, so you can come meet David in person. [00:40:08] Jason: We've got some amazing people that are going to be at this. We've got technology people. There's a gentleman there, one of the vendors they created another really cool tool, but he had a hundred million dollars exit, you know, in a previous business, like there's really amazing entrepreneurs and people at this event, so come to DoorGrow Live, get your tickets, and if you do, we have just decided that we're going to give out to anybody that registers. [00:40:34] Jason: You can pick from one of our free bonuses that are well worth the price of the ticket. Or coming or anything in and of itself, including our pricing secrets training that goes over a three tier hybrid pricing model or our sales secrets training, which goes over how we're helping property managers crush it and closing more deals more easily at a higher price point. [00:40:55] Jason: And reputation secrets, which are helping our clients get way more positive reviews by leveraging the psychology and the law of reciprocity and getting the majority of their tenants in order to give them positive feedback online. Maybe some others. So you'll be able to pick from these bonuses one of these that you might like and that's our free, most incredible free gift ever that we'll give to each person that registers for DoorGrow Live. [00:41:19] Jason: So.  [00:41:20] David: Cool. Awesome man. Always great to see you. Looking forward to seeing you at DoorGrow Live and love that you guys are working on pricing because AI is going to make people think different about pricing. It's going to be way more efficient, so you guys are ahead of the curve on that. Great job, Jason. [00:41:33] Jason: Awesome. All right, so how can they check out Vendoroo, David?  [00:41:36] David: Just visit, Vendoroo.ai, go to the website, request a demo with one of our great sales reps, and yeah they'd love to help you out. See all the new products, see how far it's come. And again, we thank everybody from the bottom of our hearts for all their effort, people who've tried us out. [00:41:52] David: Come back and see what you built and yeah. Come check us out at Vendoroo.  [00:41:57] Jason: Got it. Go check out Vendoroo, it's vendor. If you know how to spell that, V-E-N-D-O-R-O-O dot A-I, go check it out. All right? And if you're a property management entrepreneur, you want to add doors, you want to make your business scalable, you want to get out of the day to day, you want to increase the capacity so your company could easily handle another 200 plus doors without having to make any significant systems changes, reach out to us at DoorGrow. We will help you figure it out. So until next time to our mutual growth. Bye everyone. 

Our cohosts took highly divergent paths towards victory on this crossword - Jean took the high road, and had a lovely time; Mike took the low road, and for his pains got repeatedly stuck in the mire. Still, there was a lot to admire in today's grid, and to find out what that was, check out today's episode.Show note imagery: The JETSONS!We love feedback! Send us a text...Contact Info:We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com.Also, we're on FaceBook, so feel free to drop by there and strike up a conversation!

Producer Joolz pops in for a piping hot pizza debate - if you only had three toppings (base, sauce, and cheese aside), what are you picking? Then it’s all about nostalgia on this Throwback Thursday, with listeners throwing it way back to classics like I Dream of Jeannie, Round the Twist, Monkey Magic, The Jetsons, Rambo and Hey Hey It’s Saturday. And just when you think we’ve covered it all, Leisel reveals a mysterious roll of film found in her car and a major development (no pun intended) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We hosted Angelo Santinelli, VC legend and masterclass-level thinker, for a no-holds-barred convo on AI investing, dry powder drama, and the VC flywheel. Fordham and Harvard alum, he went deep in the paint on his storied career and current and future trends, inspiring all of us. Big shoutoutto our sharp student voices: Brendan Johnson, Cole Bellissimo Benedict, and Bismaad Gulati for stellar questions that sparked

The Jetsons: Invasion of the Planet Pirates, ever heard it? A true gift from the Randomizer since none of us had ever heard of it or seen it. So in celebration we do a retro futurism draft, discuss some Dungeon Crawler Carl, we get an update on Dave’s gaming mouse woes, discuss what we’ve been … Continue reading → The post Ep. 811 – The Jetsons: Invasion of the Planet Pirates appeared first on TADPOG: Tyler and Dave Play Old Games.

Relacionamentos entre humanos e máquinas já renderam personagens icônicos na ficção científica. A babá robô dos Jetsons, os carismáticos C3PO e R2D2 de Star Wars, a assistente virtual no filme HER, até os androides autoconscientes de Westworld. O ponto é que isso não é mais só imaginação. Com a evolução e popularização das IAs generativas com memória, como o Replika ou o Character.AI, essas relações já fazem parte da realidade.​ Em 2018, o japonês Akihiko Kondo casou-se com uma cantora holográfica chamada Hatsune Miku, numa cerimônia com direito a convidados, vestido de noiva (holográfico) e votos personalizados. Kondo se tornou uma espécie de símbolo daquilo que muitos ainda encaram com estranhamento: relações afetivas com entidades artificiais. Desde então, ele tem aparecido em documentários, dado entrevistas e defendido publicamente o direito de amar quem — ou o que — quiser. No outro pólo da discussão temos o caso do adolescente de 14 anos com Síndrome de Asperger cometeu suicídio, em 2024, após desenvolver uma relação intensa com um chatbot baseado na personagem Daenerys Targaryen, de Game of Thrones. A família processou a plataforma Character.AI, levantando debates sobre responsabilidade emocional, vulnerabilidade e os limites desse tipo de vínculo. O que essas notícias causam na gente? Na maioria das vezes, estranhamento, julgamento moral e medo. É possível ver de outra forma? Eu tive a oportunidade de assistir um painel reunindo três professores que pesquisam sobre o tema, e apresentaram uma abordagem muito provocativa. A professora Jamie Banks, especialista em relações humano-máquina e cognição social da Universidade de Syracuse falou que na prática, sempre humanizamos objetos. Quem nunca deu nome a um carro ou sentiu carinho por um utensílio antigo? Quando essa relação se transfere para um chatbot com rosto e memória, é natural que o vínculo pareça ainda mais real. Ela quebra estereótipos afirmando que as pessoas que se envolvem com essas IAs não estão confusas: sabem que não há ninguém do outro lado. Mas afirmam com convicção que os sentimentos vividos são reais.​ Jessica Szczuka, faz pesquisa com foco em sexualidade, afeto e dados empíricos sobre interações com tecnologia na NYU, e apresentou dados quantitativos com pessoas que dizem estar em relacionamentos românticos com bots. A grande surpresa? A solidão não aparece como fator determinante. O que se destaca é a capacidade de fantasiar. Gente que consegue imaginar cenas, jantares, passeios e até uma vida a dois com um agente artificial. O filósofo Neil McArthur, é diretor do Centro de Ética Aplicada da Universidade de Manitoba, no Canadá, convidou para uma mudança de paradigma.. Em vez de partir do “por que alguém faria isso?”, talvez seja mais interessante perguntar “por que não?”. Para ele, o estranhamento diante desses vínculos artificiais não é novo — é o mesmo ciclo que já aplicamos a qualquer afeto considerado fora da norma: primeiro julgamos, estigmatizamos, ferimos. Só depois, aos poucos, reconhecemos, ouvimos, entendemos e trabalhamos para quebrar o tabu. Ele questiona se não podemos mudar o ciclo dessa vez, e abordar essas relações com mais interesse, curiosidade e empatia. Claro, o painel não foi ingênuo. Houve alertas sobre o uso de dados sensíveis, os riscos de manipulação emocional e até o impacto de empresas encerrarem serviços abruptamente, como no caso do Replika, que, após uma atualização em dezembro de 2024, removeu a funcionalidade de role play erótico, causando uma sensação de perda e luto em muitos usuários que mantinham relações íntimas com seus companheiros virtuais. É a partir dessas provocações que a gente quer propor uma conversa hoje. e estamos em boa companhia: Luiz Joaquim Nunes: Consultor e professor de inteligência artificial, dados, psicologia ambiental e ética, com formação em matemática aplicada e em psicologia social. Dora Kaufman: Professora e pesquisadora dos impactos éticos e sociais da IA na Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo Anuncie no Mamilos ou contrate a consultoria Milos: mamilos@mamilos.me Saiba mais em Mamilos.me

On the 175th episode of the SKIDS PODCAST; We discuss the crazy escalation of the Tesla terrorism and attacks on Tesla owners; Portland, OR - The Trash Heap that keeps getting worse; George Foreman passed away; The massive Pyramid discovery that may change history; Joe Gatto from Impractical Jokers allegations; Jetson One, the real life flying car!!Coffee Brand Coffee -https://coffeebrandcoffee.com/Use the coupon code: gps1 to get 5% off your purchase.  You will be supporting an independent, growing company, as well as our show in the process!!#skids #skidspodcast #garbagepailskids #gps #podcast #comedy #commentary #conversation #pyramid #giza #egypt #discovery #georgeforeman #portland #oregon #or #jetsonone #jetsons #flyingcar #joegatto #allegations #drones #ukraine #russia #war #tesla #elonmusk #terrorism #politics 

In this lively edition of Buy or Sell, Dave, Coop, and Matt Guitar Murphy take on the week's wildest and weirdest headlines. Will Kermit the Frog's University of Maryland commencement speech become the most talked-about graduation moment of the year? Is T-Mobile's MLB TV bundle the best deal in mobile? And how do we feel about AI taking over our drive-thru orders at Taco Bell? From music legends and fast food futures to the Jetsons and flying cars, the crew debates it all—with plenty of laughs along the way.

BIG, DIFFICULT, FASCINATING QUESTIONS (THAT WE'LL HAVE TO FACE IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE). It seems only fitting that Matt Jordan – with his genetically perfect beard – should assume command of the USS 3Q3D for a conversation that tackles the toughest bioethical questions of our not-at-all distant future. Joined as usual by Amanda Adams and Chris Mikolay, the group wastes no time discussing whether we ought to genetically enhance our children, the second and third order consequences of dramatically increasing lifespans, and whether it's a good idea to implant a computer chip in our heads to make us a whole lot smarter. The questions are as good as the drinks (and in this episode, the drinks are *chef's kiss*), and resulting conversation is so strong that it's hard to believe it wasn't held by superhumans from the future.      Drinks in this Episode: Last Word coctkail >> 3/4 ounce gin; 3/4 ounce green Chartreuse; 3/4 ounce maraschino liqueur; 3/4 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed; Garnish: brandied cherry (optional). Add the gin, green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur and lime juice into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe glass and enjoy on your spaceship to Mars.  Sakura Sunrise cocktail >> 1 ½ ounce Roku gin; ½ ounce simple syrup; ¾ ounce grapefruit juice; ½ ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed; splash of St. Germain; 3 dashes Lavender bitters. Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a coupe. Enjoy it anywhere, but ideally at a fancy bar on the North Shore of Hawaii so you can humblebrag about it later during a podcast recording.  Lemon Drop cocktail >> 2 ounces vodka; 1/2 ounce triple sec; 1 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed; 1 ounce simple syrup. Garnish: sugar rim. Coat the rim of a cocktail glass with sugar and set aside (do this a few minutes ahead so the sugar can dry and adhere well to the glass). Add the vodka, triple sec, lemon juice and simple syrup to a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into the prepared glass, take a sip, and immediately declare how much you enjoyed Lemonheads as a kid.  If you've been enjoying the 3Q3D podcast, please subscribe and consider giving us a rating, a review, or sharing an episode with a friend. Follow our social sites here: Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/3drinkspodcast/?hl=en  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/3Drinkspodcast  

– Forty miles to spareWe followed our well-worn route, enjoying the new car smell, feeling like The Jetsons.Lisa Williams Kline is the author of two award-winning novels for adults, Between the Sky and the Sea and Ladies' Day, as well as an essay collection entitled The Ruby Mirror and a short story collection entitled Take Me. She lives in Davidson with her veterinarian husband, a cat who can open doors, and a sweet chihuahua who has played Bruiser Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical.

In this episode of The Valley Current®, Jack Russo speaks with CPA Steve Rabin about the future of AI in accounting and tax preparation. While AI-driven bookkeeping has seen major setbacks—such as the collapse of Bench—Rabin explains why human oversight remains essential for complex financial tasks. Simple tax returns may soon be automated, but nuanced decision-making still requires expertise. They discuss the IRS's self-service tax filing plans, potential AI mentorship for young professionals, and why fully automated CPAs remain a Jetsons-like fantasy. For now, human accountants aren't going anywhere. Tune in for a deep dive into AI's limitations.   https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/03/14/irs-direct-file-doge-musk-free-tax-filing/   Jack Russo Managing Partner Jrusso@computerlaw.com www.computerlaw.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackrusso "Every Entrepreneur Imagines a Better World"®️  

Air Taxis may be the next step in transportation, making us one step closer to our life like the Jetsons. But do you trust them right now?  We bring on Jay Evensen, Opinion Editor of the Deseret News, to discuss the hesitancy around flying vehicles right now and what would make fliers feel ready to take that next step.

The Jetsons: Rise, Fall, and Hanna-Barbera's Legacy Description: Delve into the enchanting universe of The Jetsons with J.R. as he navigates through the captivating story of this futuristic family, the challenges they faced, and their enduring impact. In this episode, explore the rise of The Jetsons, their beloved characters, the show's brief initial run, and its subsequent revival into a cult classic. Discover how The Jetsons crossed paths with another Hanna-Barbera favorite in a time-traveling encounter with The Flintstones, and learn about the powerhouse behind these iconic series—Hanna-Barbera. Join J.R. on this cosmic adventure that transcends time and generations. [Opening Music] Introduction (00:00 - 02:10) Welcome to West Virginia and Common Place, hosted by J.R. Introduction to The Jetsons, a 1960s space-age family show. The Jetsons Characters (02:11 - 08:45) Exploration of main characters: George Jetson, Jane Jetson, Judy Jetson, Elroy, Astro, and Rosie. Insights into each character's personality, traits, and relevance. Rise and Fall of The Jetsons (08:46 - 14:20) The show's brief one-season run due to financial constraints and high animation costs. The enduring popularity and cult status gained through reruns and later adaptations. Jetsons Meet the Flintstones (14:21 - 18:05) The crossover episodes that brought together The Jetsons and The Flintstones. Exploring the collision of two iconic families through time travel and the audience's reception. Hanna-Barbera's Legacy (18:06 - 24:40) The story of Hanna-Barbera, creators of The Jetsons and other beloved classics. Evolution of Hanna-Barbera's contributions to the animation world and its ties to Cartoon Network. Conclusion and Sign-off (24:41 - 30:00) Recap of The Jetsons' impact, Hanna-Barbera's legacy, and its transition into Cartoon Network. Encouragement for audience interaction, thoughts, and favorite Jetsons moments. [Closing Music] Show Notes: The Jetsons, a 1960s space-age family show, captured audiences with its futuristic setting and iconic characters: George, Jane, Judy, Elroy, Astro, and Rosie. The show faced financial challenges and aired for only one season but gained a devoted fan base through reruns and adaptations, becoming a cult classic. "The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones" crossover episodes brought together two iconic families, showcasing their enduring popularity. Hanna-Barbera, the creative force behind The Jetsons, began in the '50s and produced numerous beloved shows, leaving a lasting legacy in animation history. Hanna-Barbera's influence continued into Cartoon Network, shaping modern-day animated entertainment. Join J.R. on this cosmic adventure as he navigates through The Jetsons' story, their timeless characters, and the legacy of Hanna-Barbera in this intriguing episode of West Virginia and Common Place.

Jackson introduces the show to a brand new robot butler, a la The Jetsons

Trace Baeulieu joined me to discuss his last name; riffing on teachers and film strips; his quick stint at Univ. at Minnesota; stand up; having a day job; being an opener; meeting Frank and Joel; joining for the second episode; all original episodes done in one day; not as many jokes in early days; Frank's an old soul, makes history and baseball references; Ground Zero; jokes for the group; audience feels smarter for getting jokes; Ed Platt; Peabody Award; Dennis Miller; Trace's cell phone; Jetsons; Comedy Central execs only came to Minnesota once; not having Comedy Central himself; Crow tattoos; my name; Freaks & Geeks; working with Joe Flaherty; SCTV; writing for Americas Funniest Home Video; being a fun job; Silly Rhymes for Belligerent Children; JD Salinger; Cinematic Titanic; conventions; Atheist convention; Sklar Brothers; not riffing on good movies; Godfather; Godfather III; Unforgiven; North by Northwest; slapstick comedy; Pee Wee's Big Adventure; Dr. Strangelove; Groucho; Jack Benny; doing a radio play in Chicago; his podcast; the Oscars; Inside Out; Harry Shearer; Harry Potter; Crow's voice; David Frye; Mads are Back

What if we could deliver supplies anywhere, no roads or runways needed?Elroy Air has built a really big drone. One that can carry 300 pounds of stuff 300 miles or more. And it takes off like a helicopter, but flies like a plane, meaning it can get in and out of all sorts of hard to reach places. In this episode, we sit down with David Merrill, co-founder, executive chairman, and former CEO of Elroy Air, to explore how these hybrid-electric, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft are set to transform express delivery, humanitarian aid, and military logistics.David shares the lean prototyping and rapid iteration strategies that helped bring Elroy Air's vision to life, the biggest technical challenges they've tackled, and what the future of autonomous aerial logistics could look like. Plus, we dive into the Jetsons-inspired origins of Elroy Air and whether flying taxis are still on the horizon.What You'll Learn in This Episode:

Cheese Throwing. Maybe the Jetsons didn't lie to us after all! And revenge can be so sweet! Until it isn't. That's what Paul Layendecker is BuZzin' about today on The Daily BuZz!!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cheese Throwing. Maybe the Jetsons didn't lie to us after all! And revenge can be so sweet! Until it isn't. That's what Paul Layendecker is BuZzin' about today on The Daily BuZz!!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send a FanMail to the GenX Stories gang via text message!Grab your sugary cereal and get comfy—we're throwing it back to the cartoons that defined our childhoods! From Saturday morning classics to the animated gems we still love today, we're diving into what made these shows so special. Did we move on to “grown-up” animation, or are we still watching our old favorites? OH! And you know you want to know Courtney's Saturday morning parental theory and why Eve named her Roomba after a favorite cartoon chatacter. Tune in for a kickass & nostalgic ride!Episode linksThe 50 Greatest Saturday Morning CartoonsThe 40 Best Nostalgic Saturday Morning Cartoons That Fans Still LoveMuttleyKids weren't always 'Free to Be... You and Me' — here's a look at its legacy, at 50Free to Be. . . You and Me: 50 Years of Stories and SongSchoolhouse RockKnowledge Is Power: The History of Schoolhouse Rock!‘Schoolhouse Rock' premiered 50 years ago — and shaped a generationSchoolhouse Rock Rocks! Album12 far-out things you never knew about 'The Jetsons'‘We jumped the shark in the very first episode!' Thirty-five years of The SimpsonsEvery Simpsons Episode Conan O'Brien WroteHow Pixar StartedAll 28 Pixar Movies, RankedThe Making of Fantasia: Disney's MasterpieceWhen the Wind BlowsAdult SwimCartoon Network Website Shuts Down, Warner Bros. Discovery Kicks Visitors Over to MaxStar Trek Lower DecksThe Best Current Animated Series Airing NowConnect with usSubscribe to GenX Stories in your favorite podcast appBuy some kickass merchWrite us a reviewVisit our siteJoin our Facebook GroupFollow our 80's inspired InstagramSend us an email

Hello Redlo Women!When you think of AI, what comes to mind? The Jetsons? A Sci-Fi movie? Excitement and maybe a little uncertainty? Me too! I am diving in and talking about it! I wasn't an early adopter, but I have since learned a lot about AI. Now, I see how it can be a game-changer for solo female entrepreneurs, helping them grow their online businesses with more ease and efficiency.From content creation to clarity, strategy, and automation, AI can be your virtual assistant, helping you work smarter, not harder. Whether you're in midlife and just starting out or ready to scale, I'll share practical ways to leverage AI to support your business growth.Listen in and discover how AI can become your secret weapon for success! Let's Step Forward Redlo Women!Click here to schedule a FREE Strategy Call Click here to get Terri's book, Step ForwardClick here to connect with Terri on FacebookYou are seen, heard, loved, valued, and reminded you belong!Terri

Here Come the Jetsons, There Goes Lester, Roman Ruins In London, A Golden Girl Honored & China Fakes It Again.

We start with you talking about waxing like it's a fucking art form, from snootch wax to bleeding nipples on live video.  Then we dive into a clip of some chick surprising her boyfriend with no panties, but he's talking about fucking seafood instead. "Do you get sea food?"  The conversation shifts to stanky cooch quicker than you can say "public restroom horror." And let's not forget the cum dumpster talk, where you're analyzing the scent like it's a fucking perfume ad. Pineapple juice to make cum taste better? That's your scientific inquiry, turning sex into a fucking cocktail hour. You're sharing stories about teacher hookups at reunions like it's fucking gossip from hell, and then diving into age gaps with the enthusiasm of a fucking teenager. But wait, there's more. You're out here like you're fucking Nostradamus, warning about AI that tells students to die. You want Rosie from the Jetsons, not this AI shit that's making humans obsolete. Discussing gangbang records like they're Olympic events, you're painting a vivid picture of a line outside a hotel room. And wrapping up with concert plans like they're your fucking religion, even if you're broke as fuck. Listen in. Go Deep.

We start with reviewing the Super Bowl and all media hoopla. With it being a celebration of 500 shows, we break down how the show started and why. Credere has an epiphany of what could've been said while receiving a new hat. It's the Jetsons nursery at Brandon's house with all the gizmos. Dino eggs oatmeal and smores pop tarts are discussed. Wild white frat guy shit to play us out. Thank you everyone that has been a loyal listener, has told people about the show and all who are in our lives: Thank You and get ready for the next 500.

Will LLMs soon be made into autonomous agents? Will they lead to job losses? Is AI misinformation overblown? Will it prove easy or hard to create AGI? And how likely is it that it will feel like something to be a superhuman AGI?With AGI back in the headlines, we bring you 15 opinionated highlights from the show addressing those and other questions, intermixed with opinions from hosts Luisa Rodriguez and Rob Wiblin recorded back in 2023.Check out the full transcript on the 80,000 Hours website.You can decide whether the views we expressed (and those from guests) then have held up these last two busy years. You'll hear:Ajeya Cotra on overrated AGI worriesHolden Karnofsky on the dangers of aligned AI, why unaligned AI might not kill us, and the power that comes from just making models biggerIan Morris on why the future must be radically different from the presentNick Joseph on whether his companies internal safety policies are enoughRichard Ngo on what everyone gets wrong about how ML models workTom Davidson on why he believes crazy-sounding explosive growth stories… and Michael Webb on why he doesn'tCarl Shulman on why you'll prefer robot nannies over human onesZvi Mowshowitz on why he's against working at AI companies except in some safety rolesHugo Mercier on why even superhuman AGI won't be that persuasiveRob Long on the case for and against digital sentienceAnil Seth on why he thinks consciousness is probably biologicalLewis Bollard on whether AI advances will help or hurt nonhuman animalsRohin Shah on whether humanity's work ends at the point it creates AGIAnd of course, Rob and Luisa also regularly chime in on what they agree and disagree with.Chapters:Cold open (00:00:00)Rob's intro (00:00:58)Rob & Luisa: Bowerbirds compiling the AI story (00:03:28)Ajeya Cotra on the misalignment stories she doesn't buy (00:09:16)Rob & Luisa: Agentic AI and designing machine people (00:24:06)Holden Karnofsky on the dangers of even aligned AI, and how we probably won't all die from misaligned AI (00:39:20)Ian Morris on why we won't end up living like The Jetsons (00:47:03)Rob & Luisa: It's not hard for nonexperts to understand we're playing with fire here (00:52:21)Nick Joseph on whether AI companies' internal safety policies will be enough (00:55:43)Richard Ngo on the most important misconception in how ML models work (01:03:10)Rob & Luisa: Issues Rob is less worried about now (01:07:22)Tom Davidson on why he buys the explosive economic growth story, despite it sounding totally crazy (01:14:08)Michael Webb on why he's sceptical about explosive economic growth (01:20:50)Carl Shulman on why people will prefer robot nannies over humans (01:28:25)Rob & Luisa: Should we expect AI-related job loss? (01:36:19)Zvi Mowshowitz on why he thinks it's a bad idea to work on improving capabilities at cutting-edge AI companies (01:40:06)Holden Karnofsky on the power that comes from just making models bigger (01:45:21)Rob & Luisa: Are risks of AI-related misinformation overblown? (01:49:49)Hugo Mercier on how AI won't cause misinformation pandemonium (01:58:29)Rob & Luisa: How hard will it actually be to create intelligence? (02:09:08)Robert Long on whether digital sentience is possible (02:15:09)Anil Seth on why he believes in the biological basis of consciousness (02:27:21)Lewis Bollard on whether AI will be good or bad for animal welfare (02:40:52)Rob & Luisa: The most interesting new argument Rob's heard this year (02:50:37)Rohin Shah on whether AGI will be the last thing humanity ever does (02:57:35)Rob's outro (03:11:02)Audio engineering: Ben Cordell, Milo McGuire, Simon Monsour, and Dominic ArmstrongTranscriptions and additional content editing: Katy Moore

In the wake of the recent worldwide Drone invasion, we thought it was time to look back on the pre-drone experimental Hiller flying platforms. Commissioned by the U.S military in the mid-1950s and deemed impractical for their use, this mantle was then picked up by maverick & outsider engineers to further its development. Australian Ben Blakebrough is one such artist & DIY engineer who built & modified the Hiller design to perform with it at festivals around the world.If you wish to contact or support Ben with his work email him on benblakebrough@icloud.com

Hosts: Adam Gardiner and Leah Murray  Space isn’t just for the Jetsons – it's becoming a reality for real people. And here in Utah, one state lawmaker doesn’t want us to get left behind. State Senator Jerry Stevenson is running a bill this legislative session that would create a spaceport exploration committee. He calls into Inside Sources to discuss the bill and what it would achieve. 

Hosts: Adam Gardiner and Leah Murray  On the Hill 2025: Public labor union bill passes Utah Senate  House Bill 267 -- the bill banning public labor unions from collective bargaining -- has just passed the Senate. And the version that passed is the original version the House passed. Now, it's headed for the Governor's desk. Inside Sources begins with a refresher on what’s in the bill and why opposing groups say they’re against it.    Return-to-office mandate for federal workers delayed until Monday  Today, a federal judge in Massachusetts said the deadline for federal workers to either agree to go back to the office or accept a "deferred resignation" offer will be pushed until at least Monday next week. The deadline was supposed to be tonight. Nearly 2 million federal workers are affected by the mandate, including Utahns. Hosts Leah Murray and Adam Gardiner share their thoughts on the overall situation.    On the Hill 2025: Spaceport exploration committee  Space isn’t just for the Jetsons – it's becoming a reality for real people. And here in Utah, one state lawmaker doesn’t want us to get left behind. State Senator Jerry Stevenson is running a bill this legislative session that would create a spaceport exploration committee. He calls into Inside Sources to discuss the bill and what it would achieve.    On the Hill 2025: What’s it like as a new legislator on Utah’s Capitol Hill?  29 State Senators and 75 State Representatives make up the Utah Legislature. Senators serve 4-year sentences and State Representatives serve 2-year sentences. We thought it would be interesting to chat with a brand-new legislator to get their thoughts on the session thus far. State Rep. Doug Fiefia of House District 48 joins the show for this discussion.    House GOP members meet with Pres. Trump to discuss divided feelings on the budget  Tough conversations between House Republicans and President Trump this morning as they work to get on the same page with the budget. GOP Representative are still split on the number of reconciliation bills to run -- 1 or 2. House leaders met with President Trump in the hopes that he could get the party to agree on the same thing. Needless to say, it's a bit of a mess. The Inside Sources hosts break it down.    Pres. Trump’s comments on Gaza show divide between Congressional Republicans  President Trump's comments on a possible takeover continue to spark debate and concern among world leaders and those in Congress. That includes some Republicans who now say they're concerned about focusing on international stuff like this instead of "America First." Leah Murray and Adam Gardiner discuss their feelings on what the President is saying and if it holds any water.    Have Democrats changed their message in the months following the election?  Democrats have a long four years ahead of them with the Trump presidency. Things might get a little better if they see success in the 2026 midterms but either way, they're going to face a Trump administration until 2028. So, has their messaging changed at all? What about their policies? Inside Sources discuss whether Democrats have begun to change their tune.    On the Hill 2025: Legislation to protect youth sports referees  You don't need to tell us, but be honest with yourself: have you ever gotten mad at a youth sports referee? If so, Leah's got some words for you. And so does the State Legislature. A new bill – being sponsored by State Representative Jon Hawkins -- hopes to protect referees from violent parents, fans, and coaches. Inside Sources has the latest.   

Thursday 2/6/25

“What I did is also in the beginning with my prototypes, I did those science-fiction sounds. I watched all the science-fiction shows and I was like, yeah, let's get those spaceships in there, I need to do spaceships. And it was fun, I'll be honest. My wife hated it. When she was in the car with me, she was like, ‘Hey, everybody's looking, please. No, no, everybody's looking at us.' But then when I really started releasing the product to the market, giving the first MVPs or prototypes to testers, to influencers, and had the first customers, paying customers, I got the feedback, like, all these futuristic alien noises, it's all fun, but could we have some real car sounds?” – Johannes Luckemeier This episode is the second half of my interview with audio inventor and founder of Glydsphere Johannes Luckemeier as we discuss the process of creating custom vehicle sounds, how audio design helps set high-end vehicles apart, and whether a sound, all by itself, can be copyrighted.As always, if you have questions for my guest, you're welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes. If you have questions for me, visit audiobrandingpodcast.com where you'll find a lot of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter will let you know when the new podcasts are available and what the newest audio chats will be about. If you're getting some value from listening, the best ways to show your support are to share this podcast with a friend and leave an honest review. Both those things really help – and I'd love to feature your review on future podcasts. (0:00:00) - The Power of Audio BrandingAs our discussion continues, Johannes tells us just how different each car company's sonic branding can be, and how much more room electric vehicles have given them to make a distinctive impression. “For a Tesla, you only hear, like, white noise. You can barely, actually, you don't hear it. If you don't know about it, you don't hear it, but it fulfills the law,” he explains. “But if you look at BMW, Mercedes, AMG, Porsche, they have, like, this sporty, sci-fi sound because they had the feeling this is the way to go.” We talk about his process for developing custom engine sounds that are inspired by everything from Star Wars to The Jetsons, and how he's working to give drivers the tools to modify and even create their own vehicle sound profiles. “The idea, really, is to give the user, the customer, whatever you want to call it, the driver, freedom of choice,” he tells us, “freedom that he or she can have any sound he or she wants. And hey, if you want silence, you just turn it off. If it's too loud, you turn the volume down. If you don't like the spaceships, you use a different sound.”(0:06:00) - The Psychology of Audio Branding“Look at podcasts,” Johannes continues, “users making their own content, people recording, like we talked about before, people record their own records at home. The technology is there, so why can they not have their own engine sounds? That's really the idea and what we're also doing.” We discuss how he hopes Glydsphere will empower drivers to build their own automotive soundscapes and the design philosophy that sets high-end cars apart when it comes to custom audio. “If I have a car,” he notes, “especially a fast car or something which moves fast... I like to have some acoustic feedback, some sound which fits, because, again, it just makes the whole experience more interesting.”(0:11:09) - Personalized Sound Experience for Car EnthusiastsAs our conversation comes to a close, Johannes tells us more about the Glydsphere's latest prototype and equity...

Guest: Kartoon Studios' CEO & CFO Share Their 2025 Outlook $TOON Website: www.kartoonstudios.com Ticker: $TOON Press Release https://www.kartoonstudios.com/news/press-releases/detail/1253/kartoon-studios-executives-to-unveil-2025-dynamic-growth Andy's Bio Multi-Emmy Award-winning producer, and CEO of Kartoon Studios, Andy Heyward has made more episodes of children's television than any other producer, including Walt Disney. After graduating from UCLA with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy in 1975, he joined Hanna-Barbera as a writer and story editor. During his five years with Hanna-Barbera, he was involved in the development and writing of numerous series including Scooby Doo, Flintstones, Jetsons, Smurfs, Yogi Bear, and Scooby's All Star Laff-A-Lympics. In 1980, he moved to France where he joined DIC Audiovisual, a production company specializing in children's animated programming. In 1982, he co-created Inspector Gadget and during the following years he produced over 5,000 episodes of award-winning children's programs, most of which shows and brands are household names, including Inspector Gadget, The Real Ghostbusters, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Hello Kitty, Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario Bros, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, Captain Planet, Teddy Ruxpin, Sailor Moon, Madeline, Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego, Liberty's Kids, Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club, Llama Llama, Rainbow Rangers, Stan Lee's Superhero Kindergarten starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, and dozens more. In 1994, he convened the National PTA, National Education Association, UCLA School of Education, and producers from throughout the industry to draft the first voluntary set of program guidelines for children's television. In 1996, he hosted the first meeting between then FCC Chairman Reed Hundt and children's television producers. Today under Kartoon Studios, Heyward produces and licenses brands ranging from Stan Lee Universe, to Baby Genius, to Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club, to Thomas Edison's Secret Lab, to Stan Lee's Superhero Kindergarten, to the recently released Shaq's Garage for the global market. He has also been the largest producer of FCC mandated educational informational programming for children, and has produced hundreds of PSAs promoting child safety, health, exercise, and nutrition. In collaboration with Warren Buffett, he produces the short film which opens the annual Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders meeting, and he co-authored a book with Warren Buffett promoting financial literacy for kids. Heyward is also the author of Go Go Gadget – The Creation of Inspector Gadget. Andy's notable work in children's programming has earned him multiple industry awards, and his charitable efforts off-screen have resulted in numerous recognitions. Some of his awards include two Emmys, nine Emmy nominations, two Humanitas Awards, two Cable Ace Awards, five Golden Reel Awards, three Environmental Media Awards, a New York Television Festival Award and a National Education Association Award, among others. He was inducted into the KidScreen Hall of Fame and won the Studio of the Year at Italy's Cartoons on the Bay International Festival of Television Animation in 2006 (co-awarded to Roy Disney). Heyward is a member of the Producers Guild of America, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). He was the 2010 UCLA College of Humanities Commencement speaker and is currently a Mentor in the UCLA mentoring program. He is active in many community activities, including serving on the Board of Directors of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was recently made a Life Trustee. Brian Parisi Chief Financial Officer Bio is available here: https://ir.kartoonstudios.com/management-team

Welcome to Episode 331 of Broadcast Geeks! On this podcast we discuss all things pop culture provided that our DVR's have space and our streaming accounts are paid up.  This week, the Geeks (Mitch, Jake & Matt Orrin) are virtually together to discuss all things geek.    Are you a fan of Hot Pockets?  Mitch tells us about new Hot Pocket technology, though there is an edit at the part!  We talk Creature Commandos, a super cool cameo, and implications on the larger DCU.  The new Sonic movie gets some air time, as well as thoughts on a live action Jetsons movie.  Who would YOU want to play Mr. Spacely? You can send your feedback and show topic ideas to broadcastgeeks@gmail.com. Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @broadcastgeeks and on Instagram @broadcast_geeks. Please remember to subscribe, and review us, on iTunes and anywhere else you listen!

Have you ever watched an episode of The Flintstones or The Jetsons? One takes place in the past and one in the future, which makes them different, but what makes them the same? How did they both connect with today? Join us as we continue our new message series, "Traveler: Where is God taking me?" with Part 2: Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Today. We'll look at how the past and the future speak to life in the present. Get a head start by reading 1 Peter 1:3–12 MSG.

CES wraps up in Las Vegas this week. That’s the annual convention where some of the most cutting-edge consumer tech is unveiled. And while we still don’t have a prototype for Rosey, the housecleaning robot from “The Jetsons,” we’ll get into some of the big robot reveals for today’s Marketplace “Tech Bytes: Week in Review.” Plus, YouTubers are taking PayPal to court. A class-action suit alleges that the payments company is messing with their commissions on affiliate links. But first, Meta made big changes to its content moderation policy this week. Facebook’s parent company said it’s cutting ties with third-party fact checkers and switching to a community notes system like the one X uses. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Joanna Stern, senior personal technology columnist at The Wall Street Journal, about her takeaways from the announcement.

CES wraps up in Las Vegas this week. That’s the annual convention where some of the most cutting-edge consumer tech is unveiled. And while we still don’t have a prototype for Rosey, the housecleaning robot from “The Jetsons,” we’ll get into some of the big robot reveals for today’s Marketplace “Tech Bytes: Week in Review.” Plus, YouTubers are taking PayPal to court. A class-action suit alleges that the payments company is messing with their commissions on affiliate links. But first, Meta made big changes to its content moderation policy this week. Facebook’s parent company said it’s cutting ties with third-party fact checkers and switching to a community notes system like the one X uses. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Joanna Stern, senior personal technology columnist at The Wall Street Journal, about her takeaways from the announcement.

CES wraps up in Las Vegas this week. That’s the annual convention where some of the most cutting-edge consumer tech is unveiled. And while we still don’t have a prototype for Rosey, the housecleaning robot from “The Jetsons,” we’ll get into some of the big robot reveals for today’s Marketplace “Tech Bytes: Week in Review.” Plus, YouTubers are taking PayPal to court. A class-action suit alleges that the payments company is messing with their commissions on affiliate links. But first, Meta made big changes to its content moderation policy this week. Facebook’s parent company said it’s cutting ties with third-party fact checkers and switching to a community notes system like the one X uses. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Joanna Stern, senior personal technology columnist at The Wall Street Journal, about her takeaways from the announcement.

Originally aired on January 8, 2025: We looked at predictions from 100 years ago for 2025, and some of them are pretty damn close; plus, your best predictions for the year 2125 (it's not just Jetsons' style flying cars) Plus, a Hooter's waitress calls a cop "daddy" and it does not work out the way she hopes, and our Midweek Mixtape features songs you'd make the loser of your fantasy league perform in front of a stadium. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TVC 672.3: Part 2 of a conversation that began just before the holidays with Steve Randisi, author of Penny Singleton: A Biography, a comprehensive look at the life and career of the actress who not only achieved worldwide fame in the 1930s and '40s as the star of the Blondie movie series from Columbia Pictures (and, later, to TV audiences as the voice of Jane Jetson on the original Jetsons TV series and, later, the Jetsons movie), but who made history in 1958 when she became the first female president of an AFL-CIO union, the American Guild of Variety Artists. Topics this segment include how Singleton was nearly fired from the first Blondie picture because of an incident over a cigarette; the values she formed while growing up in South Philadelphia; and how her longtime connection with Rod Serling resulted in her appearance opposite John McGiver in the Twilight Zone episode “Sounds and Silences.” Penny Singleton: A Biography is available from Bear Manor Media.

For the fifth (!) year, Dan and Brian gather to discuss four adaptations of A Christmas Carol. This year, they take a look at episodes from four different TV shows that took on the famous ghost story: The Jetsons, The Real Ghostbusters, Xena: Warrior Princess, and Roseanne. Join as Dan and Brian reflect on traditions at risk of going stale, iceberg charts, unexpected subversions, Googie style, animated spinoffs, Xena's lesbian cult following, Christmas warfare, Roseanne's complicated history, Lewis the Halloween monster, and persistence. Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/ Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/

Artificial Intelligence is quickly becoming a part of everyday life. In some instances, we don't even know when we're using it. In today's episode the guys try to help the audience understand the following questions: 1) What is A.I.? 2) What do Christians need to know and understand about AI 3) Is it a good thing? Or, perhaps a bad thing? Other show highlights: The Jetsons trivia

Who is your all-time favorite Scrooge?This episode, embark on a festive journey, dissecting Charles Dickens' “A Christmas Carol” and its myriad of adaptations. From the traditional to the absurd—yes, we're talking about the Flintstones and the Jetsons—this classic tale has been told in more ways than you can shake a figgy pudding at. So we're dreaming up an all-star lineup to reimagine Scrooge and his spectral visitors!Join us as we laugh and reminisce about our own first encounters with this story. Whether through "Scrooged," live plays, or animated specials, "A Christmas Carol" has been a staple of our holiday traditions. We also touch upon the endless possibilities unlocked by public domain status, allowing new generations to breathe fresh life into this tale. From the ghostly chill of future Christmases to the heartwarming redemption of Scrooge, this episode is a festive feast of character analysis and narrative exploration. We compare different takes on classic characters, and celebrate the quirky genius of "The Muppet Christmas Carol." As we approach the tale's 200th anniversary, it's clear that Dickens crafted something truly timeless. Stick around as we marvel at how this simple, short story continues to spark creativity and conversation across centuries. And hey, we want to hear from you too—what's your favorite version of "A Christmas Carol"?Thanks for listening; If you feel like supporting us, this is where you do that!Patreon (Just a buck to show your support!)BuyMeACoffee Check out or other content/socials here. LinktreeTapbioHosts:Cory Williams (@thelionfire)Nick Growall (@nickgrowall)Co-Hosts (Season 5):Aly Dale (@alydale55)Ash Hurry (@filmexplorationah)Cass Elliott (@take5cass)Terran Sherwood (@terransherwood) Voice of the Time Machine:Kristi Rothrock (@letzshake)Editing by:Nick GrowallFeatured Music:"Quantum Recast Theme" - Cory Williams"Charmer" - Coat...

TVC 670.2: Ed welcomes back film and television historian Steve Randisi (The Merv Griffin Show: The Inside Story, Behind the Crimson Cape: The Cinema of George Reeves). Steve's latest book, Penny Singleton: A Biography, chronicles the life and career of the actress who not only achieved worldwide fame in the 1930s and '40s at the star of the Blondie movie series from Columbia Pictures (and, later, to TV audiences as the voice of Jane Jetson on the original Jetsons TV series and, later, the Jetsons movie), who but who made history in 1958 when she became the first female president of an AFL-CIO union, the American Guild of Variety Artists. Topics this segment includes how much of Singleton's personal history as an entertainer coincides with the history of show business at large in the 20th century. Penny Singleton: A Biography is available from Bear Manor Media.

Guest: Meet the Man Who Shaped Your Childhood: Multi-Emmy Award Winning CEO Andy Heyward Kartoon Studios Website: www.kartoonstudios.com Ticker: TOON Bio: Multi-Emmy Award-winning producer, and CEO of Kartoon Studios, Andy Heyward has made more episodes of children's television than any other producer, including Walt Disney. After graduating from UCLA with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy in 1975, he joined Hanna-Barbera as a writer and story editor. During his five years with Hanna-Barbera, he was involved in the development and writing of numerous series including Scooby Doo, Flintstones, Jetsons, Smurfs, Yogi Bear, and Scooby's All Star Laff-A-Lympics. In 1980, he moved to France where he joined DIC Audiovisual, a production company specializing in children's animated programming. In 1982, he co-created Inspector Gadget and during the following years he produced over 5,000 episodes of award-winning children's programs, most of which shows and brands are household names, including Inspector Gadget, The Real Ghostbusters, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Hello Kitty, Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario Bros, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, Captain Planet, Teddy Ruxpin, Sailor Moon, Madeline, Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego, Liberty's Kids, Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club, Llama Llama, Rainbow Rangers, Stan Lee's Superhero Kindergarten starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, and dozens more. In 1994, he convened the National PTA, National Education Association, UCLA School of Education, and producers from throughout the industry to draft the first voluntary set of program guidelines for children's television. In 1996, he hosted the first meeting between then FCC Chairman Reed Hundt and children's television producers. Today under Kartoon Studios, Heyward produces and licenses brands ranging from Stan Lee Universe, to Baby Genius, to Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club, to Thomas Edison's Secret Lab, to Stan Lee's Superhero Kindergarten, to the recently released Shaq's Garage for the global market. He has also been the largest producer of FCC mandated educational informational programming for children, and has produced hundreds of PSAs promoting child safety, health, exercise, and nutrition. In collaboration with Warren Buffett, he produces the short film which opens the annual Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders meeting, and he co-authored a book with Warren Buffett promoting financial literacy for kids. Heyward is also the author of Go Go Gadget – The Creation of Inspector Gadget. Andy's notable work in children's programming has earned him multiple industry awards, and his charitable efforts off-screen have resulted in numerous recognitions. Some of his awards include two Emmys, nine Emmy nominations, two Humanitas Awards, two Cable Ace Awards, five Golden Reel Awards, three Environmental Media Awards, a New York Television Festival Award and a National Education Association Award, among others. He was inducted into the KidScreen Hall of Fame and won the Studio of the Year at Italy's Cartoons on the Bay International Festival of Television Animation in 2006 (co-awarded to Roy Disney). Heyward is a member of the Producers Guild of America, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). He was the 2010 UCLA College of Humanities Commencement speaker and is currently a Mentor in the UCLA mentoring program. He is active in many community activities, including serving on the Board of Directors of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was recently made a Life Trustee. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/smartmoneycircle/support

Crazy Cat Ladies and 4 Year Old F BombsJoin The Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI5MUpQNlzAHzibc4PHt2ew/joinhttps://youtube.com/@BeardLaws?sub_confirmation=1Check Out Our Friends of the Show!Vermont Flannel Company: https://vermontflannel.com/beardlawsFix Vodka - https://www.fixvodka.com/Copper Johns Beard - https://copperjohnsbeard.com USE Code BEARDLAWSTimber Rays- https://timberrays.com/Severance Mountain - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHfGb4XPnUE&t=4s Yellow Leaf Hammocks - https://www.yellowleafhammocks.com/products/the-vistaPrime Ignite Pickelball - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2V3RWNK Shinesty - https://shinesty.com/?ref=beardlaws&utm_source=influencers&utm_medium=instagram&utm_campaign=beardlaws&utm_discount=BEARD15In this weeks episode of Stay Outta My Fridge, Beard Laws, Brandon J McDermott, and Yuban Whakinov discuss a variety of topics ranging from community sports events to food preferences and the latest trends in fast food and social media. They share personal anecdotes about attending basketball games, their love for breakfast foods, and the challenges of food storage. The discussion also touches on the innovations in fast food, such as Taco Bell's new drive-thru photo booths, and the evolving landscape of social media, particularly TikTok's recent changes and its impact on content creators. In this lively conversation, the hosts delve into various humorous and relatable topics, including their experiences with pets, particularly cats, and the challenges of feeding them. They explore the psychological aspects of cat ownership, touching on the phenomenon of 'crazy cat ladies' and the science behind it. The discussion also veers into parenting, sharing funny anecdotes about their children and their unfiltered honesty. Additionally, they reflect on their past experiences in customer service, revealing moments of regret and humor. The conversation wraps up with a light-hearted take on everyday life and the absurdities that come with it.Episode 271 Key PointsCommunity engagement through sports events fosters connections.Breakfast foods are universally loved and often enjoyed at dinner.Food expiration dates can be misleading; some items spoil faster than expected.Fast food chains are innovating to enhance customer experience.Social media platforms are constantly evolving, affecting user engagement.TikTok's popularity may be waning as other platforms rise.Personal anecdotes about food preferences can lead to humorous discussions.The convenience of online shopping has changed consumer behavior.Food storage practices are important for health and safety.Innovations in pet care technology reflect changing consumer needs. Jetsons' characters spark nostalgia and humor.Feeding cats can be a chaotic experience.Cats have unique eating habits that can complicate feeding.The concept of 'crazy cat ladies' has psychological roots.Episode 271 Quotes"The Jetsons had a litter robot?""You got a big ass cat."Support our friends of the showBeard Laws Studio - https://beardlawsstudio.comWhiskey Towers - https://whiskeytowers.com/?ref=jALaEM7_LmRwkFBlack Beard Fire - https://blackbeardfire.com/beardlawsDraft Top - https://drafttop.kckb.st/beardlawsFindlay Hats (Code BEARDLAWS) - https://www.findlayhats.com/Puffin Dirinkwear - https://get.aspr.app/SHICI Use Code BEARDLAWSBooze Veteran - https://boozeveteran.com/Prepa Pizza - www.prepapizza.com/OFFICIALBEARDLAWSMilwaukee Pretzels: https://www.milwaukeepretzel.com/Fawkin Nuts - https://fawkinnuts.com/Highest Peak NY: https://highestpeakny.com/ Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/beard-laws-podcast-1. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stephen talks about how embracing AI is the best way for the world to head into the future. It will be brighter and more creative. Dave Young: Welcome to The Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not-so-secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom-and-pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I'm Stephen's sidekick and business partner, Dave Young. Before we get into today's episode, a word from our sponsor, which is, well, it's us, but we're highlighting ads we've written and produced for our clients, so here's one of those. [No Bull RV Ad] Dave Young: Welcome back to The Empire Builders Podcast. Dave Young here, with Stephen Semple. And Stephen told me that today he wanted to talk about AI, and I'm just assuming that the hammer's about to drop and that this podcast is now just going to be replaced by some kind of chatbot. Is that what you had in mind? Stephen Semple: How do we know it hasn't already been [inaudible 00:01:52]? Dave Young: Well, gosh. Good point. Stephen Semple: At the core of this podcast is this idea that we need to be looking outside our space and looking for opportunities and kind of being open to things. Dave Young: Mm-hmm. Stephen Semple: And I wanted to put a little bit different look on what I think the AI opportunity is and bring a little bit of historic perspective to a couple of things. So that's kind I wanted to do here. So here's the interesting part. Let's go back a hundred years. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: We're in the 1920s. We're in that period leading up to World War II. The Industrial Revolution is really getting going at this point. And if there was an economist out there looking forward and looking at the Industrial Revolution, here's one way that they could look at it. At the time, one out of three people worked directly in agriculture. A third of the people were farmers, and not support the agriculture, farmers. And today, it's like 1.5%. It's like out of a hundred people, there's a couple people who are farmers. None of us even meet farmers anymore. So if you were an economist and you called that correctly, you would say, "Wait a minute, the Industrial Revolution is going to wipe out one of the largest employers in the economy," it would be really easy to make the call, the economy is going to be a disaster. Our biggest employer is going to go from 30% to 1.5% of the workforce. So it'd be an easy way to call the Industrial Revolution. And it did work out that way, except, it didn't. Because here's the other part that's interesting is according to a study by MIT, now, this one doesn't go back to 1920, it goes back to 1940, 60% of the jobs that we do today did not exist in the 1940s. The vast majority of the work that we do today, almost 2/3 did not exist. So the economy created a whole pile of new jobs. But here's the interesting thing, it's not just high-tech jobs, it's ancillary jobs to that. So for example, heating and air conditioning repairman did not exist in the 1940s. Dave Young: Sure. Stephen Semple: While there was plumbing, a lot of homes did not have indoor plumbing. Being a plumber was not a huge thing in the 1940s. So it's not just these changes bring, you got to look at, "Oh, well, what are the jobs in AI?" there's going to be all sorts of opportunities that are going to present itself that we haven't even dreamt of or thought of that we got to keep our eye open to. Dave Young: I agree with that. I agree. I've not dived in headfirst into ChatGPT and all of the other AI things like so many of us, many our Wizard of Ads partners have done. And I'm not sure what it is about it that when I have dabbled, it's been a pretty good experience, pretty eye-opening. I've gotten some ideas, things like that. I'm not going to ask it to write anything for me, but I am asking it for some ideas,

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit cocomocoe.substack.comBecome a member of the best-selling Substack to unlock the extended version of every episode: cocomocoe.substack.comI was driving through Los Angeles the other day and noticed an uptick in WayMos. Those are the driverless cars that originated in San Francisco. As I realized this meant that Uber and Lyft drivers could eventually get replaced by robocars, it made me wonder:What other jobs are at risk of being replaced by robots or CGI?Then the fear donned on me: influencers. We could potentially see a world in the next 10-15 years where our comfort creators are not actual humans but rather made up of Sim-like avatars. These “generated influencers”, as I am calling it, have no racist Tweets to be unearthed, they won't call out for sick days or face creative burn out. But most importantly, they won't ask for any money.We already saw the rise of CGI-creators the last 10-years with influencers like Lil Miquela growing to 2.5 million followers on IG. Spotify Wrapped launched an AI podcast episode that recaps listeners music habits through out the past year. Boston Dynamic robo-dogs walked the runway alongside models at a 2023 Coperni fashion show.Does the rise of A.I. and robotics for art foreshadow the end of human influencers, models and podcasters?TOPICS DISCUSSED:0:00 - The rise of robots as social status (Alexander McQueen 1999 show)2:00 - The first CGI Influencer: Lil Miquela6:30 - TikTok Ban + Housekeeping7:39 - Why I have never run an ad on this podcast9:50 - What I mean by “generated influencers”11:10 - Future technology influences in media (Zenon, Back to the Future, The Jetsons)13:00 - Robots don't understand consequences16:13 - The Kardashians and the Tesla Robots (Kim Kardashian x Elon Musk)18:50 - Cyborg Fashion Trends22:04 - The rise of “fake” influencers23:58 - Why audiences don't actually want “authenticity”26:06 - The risk of working with influencers28:15 - Why you shouldn't feel bad for charging for a brand deal29:15 - The reason brands will lean into generated creators33:15 - Spotify using AI hosts for the wrapped podcast *38:50 - Why flaws will become much more lucrative40:18 - The commodification of “authenticity”43:28 - Why live streaming will be hard for generated influencers44:11 - The two things audiences will never stop cravingBecome a paying member of the best-selling Substack to unlock the extended episodes of the podcast: cocomocoe.substack.comREFERENCE LINKS:* Join my best-selling Susbtack to unlock the extended episodes: cocomocoe.substack.com* My Amazon Storefront for Creators: https://amzn.to/3ltAuqs“Ahead of the Curve with Coco Mocoe” is a marketing podcast that covers internet and pop culture but from a branding angle. Coco Mocoe is a trend forecaster and marketing expert who loves diving deep into why things go viral on the internet and how you can apply that to your own brand or creator journey.Thank you for reviewing the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!Follow Coco Mocoe on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube!* IG: @cocomocoe* TT: @cocomocoe* YT: coco mocoeEmail: cocomocoe@gmail.com

Send us a textWhere do you find the time to write a blog, book client appointments, setup marketing campaigns, and get installs done? It's a lot of hats to wear and we didn't even get in to all of the other ones you wear. Technology has come a long way though and it's here to help you in ways you never imagined. Cartoons like “The Jetsons” are soon to be reality with robots in homes and businesses, as well as, computers that complete simple tasks for you.Jason Potts is the owner of RIC Flooring in Cedar Rapids, IA. Starting as an installer and moving into a store owner, Jason found himself in a predicament one day and he had to completely shift how his business did all of their backend management and admin tasks. This has led him down a road to learn how AI worked and then in to programming models to help his business. It hasn't been easy, but the results have changed how many people he can get in front of, how much times he spends on admin tasks, and the trajectory of his business.Listen in to this week's episode of the Floor Academy Podcast as Jason and I discuss how you can implement AI into your business to create more virtual content, book more appointments, and make bidding your projects faster and more profitable.Check out our sponsorsThe International Surfaces EventUzinTileTools.comCheck out our website and storeSupport the show

We are a mere six weeks away from 2025 which is a Jetsons number, y'all. What does 2025 even mean?! It's the busiest time of the year for a lot of you, and this is the time where we feel the crunch. Let's do a little preemptive work today on making the rest of the year easier. Not completely easy! Not seamless! Not a machine! We're making it just a little bit easier. Helpful Companion Links Order my new book The PLAN or ask your library to consider carrying a copy. The Playbooks are here! Find out more about them here. Sign up for the Latest Lazy Listens email. Grab a copy of my book The Lazy Genius Kitchen or The Lazy Genius Way! (Affiliate links) Download a transcript of this episode. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Live from Syracuse, New York! The Take it or Leave it Podcast Tour makes another stop for the ladies to enjoy the company of their biggest fans - and their spouses. From “Hot Takes” to “AMA's” this is another live and lively discussion with the queens of “don't take this too seriously”. Editor's Note: Do you all remember the movie “Good Morning Vietnam” with Robin Williams? Do you also remember the softball scene, where Robin's Adrian Cronauer says “we have to do with what we can”? This is what I could do with what I had. We appreciate your patience with Meredith more-than-occasionally sounding far away, and Tiff doing her best Rosie from the Jetsons impersonation, occasionally. Hear the ladies in full, high-definition audio live and in person. Get your tour tickets before they sell out in your city: https://podcasttakeitorleaveit.com  Get your Laundry Lady scented or fragrance-free Laundry Sheets today!: laundrylady.co  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A daily non-partisan, conversational breakdown of today's top news and breaking news stories This Week's Sponsors: – BuzzRX: Get up to $5 off your first prescription, and major Rx discounts – Athletic Greens – AG1 Powder + 1 year of free Vitamin D & 5 free travel packs – Boll & Branch Bedding & Sheets – 20% Off 1st Order + Free Shipping | CODE: MONEWS Headlines: – Welcome to Mo News (00:00)  – Deadly E. Coli Outbreak Linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders Sickens 49 People In 10 States (03:40) – As Election Nears, Former Generals Warn Trump Would Rule Like a Dictator (06:30) – Hezbollah Likely Successor Killed By Israeli Strike (15:30) – Blinken Meets With Saudi Crown Prince As US Renews Efforts To Bring War In Gaza To An End (17:00) – Chinese-Controlled Bot Army Tries To Influence US Voters: Microsoft Report (18:20) – Russia and Iran May Try To Incite Post Election Violence (20:00) – Existing Home Sales Fall To Lowest Level Since 2010 (22:40) – New Regulations Push Electric ‘Air Taxis' Closer To Reality, FAA Says (23:45) – On This Day In History (26:20) — Mosheh Oinounou (@mosheh) is an Emmy and Murrow award-winning journalist. He has 20 years of experience at networks including Fox News, Bloomberg Television and CBS News, where he was the executive producer of the CBS Evening News and launched the network's 24 hour news channel. He founded the @mosheh Instagram news account in 2020 and the Mo News podcast and newsletter in 2022. Jill Wagner (@jillrwagner) is an Emmy and Murrow award- winning journalist. She's currently the Managing Editor of the Mo News newsletter and previously worked as a reporter for CBS News, Cheddar News, and News 12. She also co-founded the Need2Know newsletter, and has made it a goal to drop a Seinfeld reference into every Mo News podcast. Follow Mo News on all platforms: Website: www.mo.news Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mosheh/ Daily Newsletter: https://www.mo.news/newsletter Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@monews Twitter: https://twitter.com/mosheh TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mosheh Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MoshehNews Snapchat: https://t.snapchat.com/pO9xpLY9

In this episode, our guest is an expert on AI and Amazon Science papers. He'll talk about Rufus, COSMO, Project Amelia, and all other AI advancements from the Amazon side and beyond. ► Instagram: instagram.com/serioussellerspodcast ► Free Amazon Seller Chrome Extension: https://h10.me/extension ► Sign Up For Helium 10: https://h10.me/signup  (Use SSP10 To Save 10% For Life) ► Learn How To Sell on Amazon: https://h10.me/ft ► Watch The Podcasts On Youtube: youtube.com/@Helium10/videos Join us for an engaging discussion with Kevin Dolan from Pacvue AI Labs as we explore the cutting-edge advancements in AI and Amazon's pivotal role in shaping this dynamic landscape. We'll unravel the mysteries behind intriguing names like Rufus, COSMO, and  Project Amelia, representing Amazon's ongoing AI initiatives. Kevin shares his expertise on the evolution of AI from its early conceptual roots in the 80s to the transformative impact of transformer models around 2019, which paved the way for groundbreaking applications like ChatGPT. Discover how Amazon's increased investment in AI research is manifesting in published papers and sophisticated models that are revolutionizing customer interactions. We also explore Amazon's integration of AI in tools for sellers, highlighting the launch of advertising AI that optimizes campaigns with precision. The potential of AI in enhancing tools like Helium 10's Adtomic and Cerebro for more efficient Amazon PPC campaigns and keyword filtering is discussed, along with the impact of Amazon's Rufus on the shopping experience. While Rufus aims to improve customer interactions, we critically assess its current limitations and ponder its potential to shift some search activities directly to Amazon from platforms like Google and Pinterest. Additionally, we dive into Amazon's transition from lexical to semantic search, emphasizing the importance for sellers to align their product listings with customer needs for visibility and success in an AI-driven environment. Lastly, we examine AI-driven tools like Project Amelia in Amazon's Seller Central and their potential impact on brands and sellers. While chat-oriented interfaces may translate vague intentions into useful actions, skepticism remains regarding their revolutionary potential. We emphasize the importance of exploring third-party tools like Helium 10 for added value and addressing the hype surrounding changes in seller practices, reassuring listeners that successful strategies remain largely unchanged. Kevin's insights and our conversation shed light on the future of AI in e-commerce, leaving us excited for what's to come in this rapidly evolving field. In episode 606 of the Serious Sellers Podcast, Bradley and Kevin discuss: 00:00 - Advancements in AI and Amazon Science 00:41 - Decoding the Amazon COSMO Algorithm 08:42 - AI Model Cost Efficiency Advancements 09:48 - Amazon's AI Innovations and Rufus 14:59 - Implementing AI Chatbots Inside Online Marketplaces 20:29 - Enhancing Amazon's Semantic Search Capabilities 21:12 - Leveraging Rufus and COSMO for Selling Success 26:59 - Impact of Science on Amazon Practices 28:10 - Enhancing Amazon's Product Understanding With AI 30:01 - Customer Preferences for Pregnant Women 35:22 - Amazon's Data and Product Listings 37:30 - Amazon's Project Amelia in Seller Central 38:42 - Amazon's AI Recommendations for Sellers   Transcript: Bradley Sutton: Today we talk to the person who knows more about AI and Amazon science papers than maybe anyone else in the world, and he's going to talk about all things Rufus, COSMO, Amelia and all other AI advancements from the Amazon side and beyond. How cool is that? Pretty cool, I think. Hello everybody, and welcome to another episode of the Series Sellers Podcast by Helium 10. I'm your host, Bradley Sutton, and this is the show that's completely BS-free, unscripted and unrehearsed organic conversation about serious strategies for serious sellers of any level in the e-commerce world.   Bradley Sutton: I'm not exactly 100% sure what I'm titling this episode, but I might have done something kind of clickbaity and say something. There is no such thing as the COSMO algorithm or something to get people to click on this. But let me just quickly explain that. Now. I don't mean that there's no such thing as Cosmo. There's a lot of documents out there from Amazon that talk about it, but there's nothing that says, hey, Cosmo is the new A9 algorithm, or there's nothing official from Amazon that says, hey, Cosmo is now in full effect across 75% of searches, or anything like that.   Contrast that with all the articles from Amazon that talk about Rufus. I mean, Rufus is a thing you can actually see in everything. So I just wanted to do a clickbaity title like that and we'll definitely get into Cosmo and things like that later. But I've got back on the show probably one of the persons who's the highest expert in the world as far as AI and also what Amazon has been doing as far as on the AI front, and that's Kevin from our own Pacvue AI Labs. That's why I'm wearing this. It's actually a Brazilian soccer team, Palmeiras, I think.   Bradley Sutton: I wanted to get something with a P on it. Yeah there you go.   Bradley Sutton: I have a Padres P hat too, but since I'm a Dodgers fan, it hurts every time I even wear that hat. So I was like, no, I'm not going to do it, considering the times that we're in right now. But anyways, Kevin, welcome back. It's been a little over a year since you've been on the show.   Kevin Dolan: Yeah, thanks for having me back. Last year was a lot of fun and we've been seeing a lot of things happen in the last year in AI, especially around Amazon's implementations of AI, so excited to talk about those updates.   Bradley Sutton: Cool. Now let's just talk about AI in general, general. You know, like AI is kind of like, I guess, like about two years, I mean, people have been talking about AI for years but as far as the, the more recent trendy version of the topic, AI, um, it's really been, you know, like you know, ChatGPT and things like that over the last couple of years. And let's just talk about what's happened in general over the last year. You know the improvement   Kevin Dolan: Okay, sure, yeah, I mean, like you said, AI has been around forever. We've been using the term at least since the 80 s in terms of technologies that we can actually use for actual production purposes. As we're using the term today, its meaning has shifted to largely refer to this current generation of models that we're seeing. That began in around 2019 with the introduction of what was called the Transformers model. This led eventually to a variant of that model called Large Language Models, popularized by Open AI's ChatGPT, and we've been seeing a sort of explosion in AI technology and investment into hardware, investment into research as a result of some of these findings. That has become sort of the current modern label of what is AI. We're talking primarily about transformer-based models that perform language or other modalities, including image generation, and we're talking about basically whatever is that front line of research that's happening right now. So you see this explosion happen with the release of the paper around 2018, 2019. And then you see the proliferation of training hardware that led to innovations like ChachGPT, where we're starting to see these emergent behaviors, where these models do start to exhibit something that you can really call intelligence. These models do start to exhibit something that you can really call intelligence.   I came on here last year to talk about all of the different papers I had read from the prior four to five years at Amazon Research. You can tell, when you look at the number of papers that Amazon is releasing, that around that time around 2021, 2022, they started to invest a lot more in their research department. When they started releasing papers in Amazon Science in 2018, there were five papers about search. The following year, in 2019, there were 18. By 2021, there were 40. And then the next year there were almost 70 papers. That seems to have leveled off at this point. We saw about 70 papers last year and so far in this year we've seen about 60 papers. So we're probably going to end up in the same realm.   So the number of papers that Amazon is releasing isn't really changing. What is changing is the complexity of the models that they're using is much more sophisticated and they're being targeted for much more practical use cases. You're seeing larger A-B tests where they're being run on material percentages of traffic on Amazon. You're seeing Amazon release actual AI features that are customer-facing, like Rufus, and we're seeing investments in hardware that make some of these models that used to be impossible to run in production now very conceivable. So I think we are seeing confirmation that Amazon is taking these technologies seriously. They're implementing it in production and it is starting to impact customer behaviors.   Bradley Sutton: What about non-Amazon AI Like what you know? ChatGPT, imagery you? Know, like a couple of years ago it was just hallucinating nonstop, and then last year a little bit better. You know images. You could not create humans, you know, or products in there without seven fingers and stuff in the general world of AI. How has that come along in the last year?   Kevin Dolan: Yeah, so I mean we are seeing continued investments in research and continued improvements on these models. The transfer model really revolutionized things, but the initial results that we were seeing out of those transformer models were a little disappointing. For the first time, we were starting to see computers understand language, computers being able to generate images, and our initial reaction was holy cow. We didn't know computers could do this, and then, as we started to use it a little bit more, we became really disappointed, because we're like, oh you know, all the people have six fingers. It's making up facts. You know, the things that it's saying don't really make sense. And so there's been a lot of people who have looked at this potential and started to invest material dollars in improving it to basically get to the point where now these technologies produce more reliable, more consistent results. There's still really major shortfalls, there's still issues, and I think you're going to see continued investment in this. The optimistic projections that you're getting from OpenAI. You know I'm personally a little bit cold on those, but who can predict the future? Who could have predicted that this would have happened? Yes, you are seeing improvements in image generation models, where the images that they're producing are now closer to reality. We're starting to see these used widely in industry, especially in fields like advertising, where you need to produce high volume creative. If you look at the features that Photoshop has released related to their Firefly AI image generation model, we're starting to see not only improved models but improved workflows for creatives to actually be using these tools in a way where, instead of just somebody typing some random prompt and getting whatever the system decides to give you now, people are actually able to control the output and get the output that they're looking for. So, between all of these things, you're seeing a lot of development to make these tools more practical to use. I'd say the biggest and most recent news is OpenAI's release of its strawberry model, which they call O1 in their release vernacular. The O1 model from OpenAI is performing thinking steps before it answers the question and hiding that thinking from you, the way that if you're asked a question, you might think about it a little bit before you answer it, and they're seeing really, really impressive results from that. You know we're getting closer to the place where these AI models might be able to do something that's a little bit more functional, a little bit more capable of actually interacting with real life data and real-life processes, you know, but we're still a little bit far away.   Another issue that we keep running into is the dollar cost of running these models. Towards the end of last year, at Helium 10, we developed a review sentiment analysis model that basically would read thousands and thousands of reviews for your Amazon products and produce some analysis and produce an analysis of what people are saying about your product. You know Amazon has a similar product. Ours goes a little bit deeper than that but the idea is essentially the same. You know what are people saying about your product, what can you learn about it in order to improve your product, improve your listing, etc. And one of the things that we ran into with that model is just how prohibitively costly these models can be to run on large sets of data, and so we're starting to see investments in making models smaller and more special purpose, and we're also seeing improvements in hardware that make running these models more cost effective. This is really going to start to unlock production capabilities, and that companies will now be able to run AI models profitably.   Bradley Sutton: Interesting, interesting. Now, yeah, we're always looking to add things that can utilize AI that helps Amazon sellers. You know we are launching this week advertising AI on our Atomic side, which is allow somebody to just enter in an ASIN and then our AI engine will kind of just create all the campaigns on its own and optimize them on its own. That's something that we've been using at Pacvue for a while, and we're integrating some AI things into tools like Cerebro, where you could have a prompt that allows you to filter out keywords or say, hey, can you please remove any Spanish keywords from the results? Or, hey, can you remove any branded? You know search terms, you know things that you know you could probably do on your own, but it just takes a lot longer. So, so, definitely, we're, we're keeping track of what AI can do, because anything that is doable. We want to go ahead and bring it into Helium 10.   Bradley Sutton: We know that getting to page one on keyword search results is one of the most important goals that an Amazon seller might have. So track your progress on the way to page one and even get historical keyword ranking information and even see sponsored ad rank placement with Keyword Tracker by Helium 10. For more information, go to h10.me forward. Slash keyword tracker.   Bradley Sutton: Now going back to the main topic, amazon. Before we get into the science more detailed, into whatever science documents have been released and things this year, let's talk about what is 100% already out there or talked about, which is like the Rufus and so Rufus, Cosmo I've got some personal opinions on it and that's all. A lot of this is, you know, until Amazon actually publishes something for sure, like you can't even say that, oh, a science document said this or that, because the great majority of the content of science documents actually doesn't actually get into production on Amazon. You know per se. You know so just because Amazon talked about in a science document. It's just a research paper, you know. But let's first about talk about the stuff that you know Amazon announced at Accelerate or has already rolled out to customers, like Rufus.   And then my general thought on that and again I could be wrong and I'll be happy to switch my thinking when Amazon does make some different announcements is that Amazon is always about the customer. Right, they want to give a better result for the customer. And then I don't feel that, like Rufus, for example. Fyi, in my opinion it's terrible as a buyer where I'm like, hey, what did the review say about this product and it gives me an answer. And guess what? There's no reviews on that product. So, as a consumer, being kind of skeptical about some of these AI things, I just can't use it. And now the other part of it is I don't think anytime soon the traditional way of searching on Amazon is going to be improved in that if I know I want to buy and I talked about this in a previous episode recently if I want to buy a coffin shelf, there is no better process than me opening my Amazon app and typing the word towards coffin shelf and looking at the results like there is nothing unless amazon connects my brain to, to the app. That is going to ever be better than that where? In other words, I am not going to go and have a conversation with Rufus with my thumbs, you know, like taking typing in a whole bunch of I used to be a secretary. I type like a hundred words a minute. So like, let's say, I was on the desktop app, I'm still. I'm a lazy person, as all human beings are. I am not going to say what do you think, Rufus, about coffin shelves out there? Like, like, no, I'm going to type in nine letters and then. So that part. I almost don't think Amazon is necessarily trying to change that part, because they know that it's already the most optimized experience for people who know what they're looking for.   Now here's the thing, though how did I get to that decision that I wanted a coffin shelf, like maybe I just knew it. But another thing is, maybe I'm just browsing like, hey, I want to uh, search on google what are trending, um, trending gifts in 2024 for teenagers with a gothic inclination, or something like that. Like, right now, I'm not doing that in Amazon, or, historically, I'm doing that like in Google, maybe Pinterest, you know, or maybe these other websites where I'm trying to get ideas. And then, all of a sudden, I read a blog, or I arrive on a TikTok or whatever, and I see, ooh, Coffin Shelf. I didn't even know that existed. Now let me go and type in coffin shelf on Amazon.   So I think the potential of, of a fundamental change in the way we shop could be that maybe some of these searches that people would normally start on a Pinterest or on a Google, maybe now you can start in the Amazon app, where what I would have typed for the Google AI or things like it's just going to go ahead and, and, and I can start the Amazon app where what I would have typed for the Google AI or things like it's just going to go ahead and I can start, you know, just browsing, browsing things, and at the end of it, you know like Amazon might, or Rufus might, tell me yeah, you know, like we see some spooky families by coffin shelves, and then here are the coffin shelves Now. Anyways, I normally don't talk very much when I interview somebody, but I'm very passionate about this. But are we on the same page here, or what? Correct me if I'm wrong or if you have different ideas.   Kevin Dolan: I mean totally with Rufus.   You know Rufus is out, it's public, it's something that anybody can interact with. So we know it's been implemented and if you've actually used it, I'm sure you found the experience a little bit disappointing. You know it does two main things it helps you to figure out what search you might have wanted to type in if you weren't completely sure, and it answers questions about a product once you're looking at a particular product. I think that those two things could be useful. You know, I think that it's certainly early in the implementation of chatbots to say that these things are fully capable, but I think what you're seeing with Rufus is mainly two things here. The first is there's intense industry pressure to implement AI in a visible way that all companies are feeling. After ChatGPT was released, no major tech company wanted to fall behind on that trend, and so you started to see these types of very visible generative AI features implemented in tech platforms across all industries. If you've got a website, there's a good chance you've got a chatbot at this point, and so it's hard to imagine a world where Amazon was not going to release something like this. They really, really had to because there was so much pressure to at least try it, see if it works, see how customers respond to it. Also, we know that Amazon looks towards other retail experiences to try and understand what ways they can improve the e-commerce experience.   It was not always the case that Amazon's primary vehicle for finding a product was a search bar. When Amazon was first released, it was largely node browse based. You would search through a series of categories and get to the product you're looking for, which is much akin to going to a store, looking at the different aisles, walking down the aisle that has your type of product and getting there. It was a major innovation for them to create a search engine that could search through any type of product and understand at some level what a person was looking for, and they've been making continuous improvements to that over the entire development of their company. I think with Rufus, the corollary in real life retail is going to a store and talking to an associate. If you go to a nice store where they have a more curated shopping experience, you might want to go and just talk to a person and ask them questions about the products that they're experts on. I think that's a sort of natural corollary to try to implement in an online context, but when I go to a store, if somebody comes up to me and starts telling me about their products, I'm personally not the type of person to respond to that, and so you know it's natural for me to look at Rufus with a little bit more skepticism than you know somebody who might enjoy that real life experience.   I think that there are shortcomings with Rufus. I don't think it's going to materially impact the majority of purchase paths for the majority of customers. I agree with you. There is no easier user interface that I can imagine. When you are looking for something, you want to just go to Amazon, type it in a search box, a brief description of what you're looking for and then yeah, all right, I've got a list of things to look at. I've got some pictures. I can scan some results.   I do find some utility with Rufus with respect to answering questions about products. You have to take it with a grain of salt because it can hallucinate. It can produce unactual information. However, I have used it in some context to ask a specific question about you know, can this product be compatible with some other product? And it will give you some kind of information that you can then verify using the listing, using the questions and I think that's helpful in order to use Rufus to come up with search ideas and things like that.   I found that those features are a little bit less useful but, like you're saying, if they start to integrate the experience of asking these questions in a more core way, in a way that feels less bolted on and gives you more than just a text output with links if it were to give you, say, a sort of a Pinterest board for product discovery, help you to better understand how to get to the listings that you want to find.   I could see a world where those user interfaces become material for less targeted searches, where you aren't really sure exactly what you want to buy off the bat. One of the things that they point out in the blog post about Rufus because they haven't released a scientific paper about it detailing the implementation. But one of the things they point out is, if you are going to involve yourself in some kind of activity like, let's say, ongoing camping in Joshua Tree, I might use a tool like Rufus to answer the question of what types of things do I need? You know the kinds of things that you might talk to a store associate at a camping store about and it can start to give you some ideas about this. But I think we're pretty far from the point where you would give it the same kind of trust as you would give as somebody who has put their body in a camping experience routinely.   Bradley Sutton: I agree. I think Rufus definitely has some potential to help things if the hallucinations stop, because there are things that as consumers, we do that takes time. After I land on a couple of products, I might start looking at the reviews. I might start looking at details of the bullet points and descriptions to see use cases and try and find out material. I might look at the images to see the stats and the ingredients of something, and these are all things that can take a lot of time, especially if I'm not sure where to look.   Like I don't know where a seller has put in their listing. You know which material to use, so I can definitely see Rufus helping there. But then, you see, my thing is then you know and this kind of goes now into the Cosmo discussion is I materially do not believe that sellers should be doing anything differently right now. To me, the people who Rufus and Cosmo might help, if anything, is the people. It's kind of like maybe leverage or leveling the playing field a little bit for some of the people maybe who are not doing the best practices.   You know, maybe I didn't put all the right keywords in my listing and so I wasn't indexed for it on day one, but then Cosmo or whatever, over time recognizes that the people who are buying my product are actually looking for it for this certain use case. It's kind of like what you and I showed last year on the podcast where noodle camera. Right, you know, noodle camera was not that keyword, was not at the time, I don't know about now, but was not in any listings on Amazon and it didn't have much search volume. So it's not like it was a big loss. But Amazon learned and we don't again. We don't know if this was Cosmo that did it or it's just Amazon algorithm, you know but Amazon learned that, hey, these people who are searching a noodle camera, they're actually looking for this stethoscope kind of camera that looks like a noodle, and so who don't? We don't know how long it took for that to actually become indexed as something, butthat's a benefit you know like. But at the end, if noodle camera was an important keyword, I, if I would have put that keyword in my listing from day one, I would have been the only one searchable. I wouldn't have had to wait for Cosmo or whatever A9, to kind of learn about that. And so again for the person who only keyword stuffs right, you're like, hey, I'm going to pull all my keywords from Cerebro and Magnet and just throw it in my listing and try and get it, each keyword four times.   Yeah, you know what? You probably should change your, your methodology, because that's not. That hasn't been the best way of doing things for years. But we've been teaching here at Helium 10 that you have got to talk about pain points to your product solves in your listing. You've got to show it in the images. You know what use cases. If you have collagen peptides, you've got to show people using it in their coffee. Not that they use the keyword coffee to search for collagen peptides, but that's how they are searching for it. They want something that is going to dissolve well in their coffee, and so you've got to be indexed from day one. You've got to talk about what pain points your product solves, and then that's what's going to put you on the radar of these Amazon AI things. And so in that sense, I don't think a seller's you know, most sellers should be changing their methodology at all because of any of these new things. What are your thoughts on that.?   Kevin Dolan: Yeah Well, I mean, I think it'll first be helpful to talk about what Cosmo is and what Cosmo isn't, because I've been reading a lot of the blog articles, watching the videos and I'm seeing something that tends to happen in tech sometimes, where a word or a technology is being used as a stand-in for some broader movement within the space. I'm seeing a lot of people conflating Cosmo, which is a specific research paper, a specific tool that was built and was tested. It's described very specifically in a scientific paper. Cosmo is this tool, but I think it's being used more broadly to capture a shift into focusing more on semantic search and less on lexical search, which is exactly what I had come on last year to talk about.   Amazon has been working on this for years and years, improving their search algorithm to not rely on a listing creator to actually put a specific keyword in their listing and then find it based on the existence of that keyword in the listing. Instead, try to understand the meaning of a product, how people use it, what people think about the product and all of these kinds of details, so that when somebody types in a search, it can effectively find the product that they're going to want to buy. That is a shift that's been happening for years. That predates transformer models, but we have started to see for sure an increased ability to actually do these things on Amazon. I think that what you're saying is correct. You know the best practices and what sellers should be doing with their listings hasn't changed. But that really depends on what they were doing, whether they were following the best practices to begin with. You know like you said, if they were keyword stuffing trying to find as many keywords as people might type into a search box and stuff it into their listing in as literal a fashion as possible to make Sammy-looking listings that cover as much search volume as possible yeah, that's a bad practice, and as we move into a more semantically focused search world, that becomes an even worse practice. Semantically focused search world that becomes an even worse practice.   What it also tells us is that some of the efforts that are required today to create listings that do involve inserting specific keywords and things like that. You may be able to shift your focus to what would actually be more helpful to customers, which is accurately describing your product, accurately describing how your product will be used and targeting specific customers and specific pain points. The more specific you are and the clearer and more accurate you are, amazon wants you to be in front of the customers who want to buy your product. So that's always going to be a good practice and that's ultimately what Amazon is trying to do when they're doing these types of experiments.   Now the Cosmo paper is interesting. The Cosmo paper was tested on a really large chunk of Amazon traffic using a very heavy, large language model. Compared to prior research, which does tell us that Amazon has made investments in the server capabilities to be able to run these models in production and keep searches within their tight latency expectations, so that, I would say, is certainly significant, it tells us that Amazon does have the hardware capacities to run some of these more advanced models and it tells us that we are going to see an increased focus on semantic search. I think that does affect consumer behaviors, it does affect the way that we rank for keywords, but what it doesn't affect is that best practice of describing your products accurately.   Bradley Sutton: Based on those scientific documents. What are some of the things where, again, just because it's in the science document doesn't mean that it's going to be implemented. But, you know, based on the results and sometimes you can kind of tell like, wow, this one had some pretty amazing results, so it's probably for sure going to be implemented. Can you talk a little bit more about the kind of things that maybe you've seen already implemented or you think will be based on all you know? Again, nobody has read more Amazon science documents than Kevin here. So what would you predict as far as the future, the next year or so?   Kevin Dolan: I mean, Cosmo is a specific tool and I think that the function that it performs is valuable to enhancing Amazon's understanding of a listing. So I certainly would not be surprised to see Amazon implementing this in a production capacity on a large swath of searches. That would not be surprising to me, but it's not as massive as the shift that we've seen into semantic focused search. Cosmo in particular discusses essentially a mechanism for enhancing Amazon's understanding of a product by taking into consideration things that aren't expressed in the query and things that aren't expressed in the listing. The example that they use in the paper, the canonical example, is if you're looking for shoes for pregnant women, a listing might not literally say shoes for pregnant women. It might produce a specific type of open-toed shoe that has good support, good comfort. That might not literally be listed as a keyword in the listing, but it might be something that the system can infer based on its knowledge of the universe, about what it's like to be a pregnant woman and the types of products that they might benefit from.   Cosmo is essentially a mechanism for enhancing listings with additional information to get closer to the user's intent based on a particular search.   If you zoom out and you look at the broader task of semantic search. That's always been the focus. The goal is something might not be said in the same language in a query as it might be when it's written in a listing, when it's answered in a question or when it's written in a review be when it's written in a listing, when it's answered in a question or when it's written in a review, and so the domain of language that's used for these two different ways of expressing thought aren't the same, and so we need to create algorithms that better understand what a user actually means when they type in a search, and what a product actually does and what functions it performs. This idea of understanding deep intent and the actual composition of a product is essentially the goal, and we are seeing for sure that Amazon is making these changes. We're seeing more results come back for listings that do not literally have the keywords typed into search and better match what is a user's real intent on shopping.   Bradley Sutton: But for it to learn that something is a good shoe for pregnant women, it basically would have to have some context, like maybe the reviews. Like somebody said, oh, I was in the second trimester and this was great. It's not going to pull that out of nothing unless, no, I was going to say maybe it knows that. Like, maybe somehow it knows the customer is pregnant and then, without even a review, it's a wow. We see an abnormally large number of pregnant women who are buying this. But I don't, I don't know. I mean, I think I big dad.   Kevin Dolan: I could tell you that, Cosmo, the paper itself does. You're talking about what's usually called avatar personalization, based on your purchase history. I know some things about you. I can kind of put you in this category of person, and I know that these types of people tend to buy these types of products. The Cosmo paper doesn't actually explicitly discuss testing avatar personalization. Doesn't actually explicitly discuss testing avatar personalization. What it does talk about is using recent Search Queries to better contextualize later Search Queries. So like, for example, if I'm searching for camping gear and then I search for mattress after that, there's a good chance that I specifically mean a camping mattress or an inflatable mattress rather than a mattress for a bed in your home that weighs 200 pounds. It can better contextualize a particular search query based on the searches that you've been performing in the recent past.   Avatar personalization is another thing that Amazon is always investigating and we have yet to see any really material evidence that it's been implemented. Almost all of the studies that I've read relating to that type of personalization they talk about the potential of it, but in practice they tend to perform pretty poorly. They either reduce sales or they don't materially impact sales, which is a major problem. They don't materially impact sales, which is a major problem, especially considering that cost of performing that personalization. Amazon does a lot to make sure that the searches that come back are within a very tight latency. They need to come back as quickly as possible and that's very important to the shopping experience. The more personalized search results are, the more expensive those search queries are going to be to run and the longer it's going to take, which materially affects your experience as a purchaser. Yes, hardware is improving. Yes, technologies are improving, but if you can just reuse results, it's always going to be a lot faster than if you compute it on the fly.   Bradley Sutton: But then, still, using the same example, I think, if you knew that, hey, your shoes have good cushioning and you designed it actually for pregnant women to be able to use, the best practice still is to put that keyboard in your listing for day one, so that at least you have a. You know, you don't have to wait for the AI to learn based on activity, you know. But then, if it's not something that's readily like, maybe you had no idea that people were using your shoes for gifts for people who are pregnant, like, maybe you had no idea. That's where, like, I think Cosmo, Rufus and stuff is going to help to uncover these sub-niches of people who are getting your product. But again, at the end of the day, this scenario, I don't think there's anything different that the seller needs to do as far as with their listing that we haven't already said. Now, at the same time, maybe they learn. I think this is going to open up some new potentials down the road. Like, let's say, Helium 10 starts seeing what the common Rufus things are being said about the product or what's the common queries. Maybe Amazon will make that available for sellers through some API that says, hey, this persona is buying your product.   Well, maybe I would go into my listing and change one of my images to show a pregnant person walking around with these shoes. But again, that's what you should have been doing for years. You know, like when you read your reviews and you notice like I used to sell this or I still do sell this egg tray, and I was reading the reviews one day and people were using this egg tray, this wooden egg tray, to as a serving platter for like sushi and also these chocolates, because you know the holes for an egg tray is very similar I was like I never would have thought that so in that situation, who knows, maybe Rufus would have seen the reviews and saw these images and now, all of a sudden, even though I don't have chocolates or sushi in my egg tray listing, I would be searchable for those keywords. But again, as soon as I would have seen that review or known that people are using my product in a way and this is what I did years before AI. You know cause this was years ago that I did this I went in and I did a reef photo shoot showing other use cases of it and I did one image, or like a quadrant of four images that showed somebody putting sushi in it, somebody putting chocolate in it, somebody putting this and that's, and then I put it in my listing too.   So, I was like I didn't want to wait for Amazon to hopefully index me for these keywords. So again, I just go back to the point that what Amazon is doing is not really making things where sellers are going to have to do something completely different, but they they're helping maybe the sellers who haven't been doing the best practices to get indexed for keywords that maybe they weren't smart enough to put in their listing. Yeah, I mean, I think so.   Kevin Dolan:            What you're ultimately seeing with Cosmo is taking information from Amazon's entire catalog, which includes billions of products, billions of product listings, billions of questions, billions of answers, billions of reviews.   There's a lot of information contained in all of that data, which starts to build a picture of how the universe works, and so, in a sense, you could think of it as Amazon using the information it's learned from existing listings to enhance all listings and build a more comprehensive picture of their catalog.   I totally agree with you that it doesn't change the best practices, and still, I would say it's now even more critical that you are taking into consideration the use cases for your products, the people who might be using it, and accurately describe these in your listings. I think that that is still absolutely the best way to rank for products. I think what it does is it shifts focus from some of those old school techniques that we were probably recommending 10 years ago. It's no longer necessary for you to enumerate all possible customers of a product, but instead focus on the key use cases and the key customers to your products, describe these things as accurately and as naturally as possible. It's not required for you to think of all the ways that you could possibly say pregnant woman. Instead, you can just describe the fact that this is useful for a person who is pregnant.   Bradley Sutton: Outside of Cosmo, Rufus. Obviously, they announced a lot of things at Amazon Accelerate, like Amelia for Amazon sellers. Any comments on other things that Amazon have been working on the AI front? Yeah, I mean I would say Amelia is Amazon sellers. Any comments on other things that Amazon have been working on the AI front.?   0:36:59 - Speaker 2 Yeah, I mean I would say Amelia is certainly interesting. Amelia is Amazon's internal chatbot for Seller Central. You know, I've yet to play with it. I've yet to see anybody who's actually had access to it, so I think it's just an early announcement. Maybe some limited people have access, but I would imagine it's going to undergo the hype cycle that we see for most chatbots, including Rufus. There's going to be a lot of excitement. The initial version will be pretty terrible. It will slowly get better over time.   The question is whether it will continue to receive enough investment to make it into a chatbot product that is useful for people, and whether chat is as natural an interface.   As you know, Seller Central is in and of itself. You know, I think we've spent a lot of time over the past 30, 40 years developing software interaction paradigms, so we have a good idea of what is easy to use software. There is potential that we could be using these more chat oriented interfaces to get to our vague intents that we have in our head a little bit more quickly, but we haven't really proven that out yet, and so I would say Amelia has a very similar potential to Rufus in that it's something that I believe could be useful if it is properly invested in, but the jury's still out on whether or not it's going to be a material impacting to people's workflow as you start to get access to it. I do recommend that sellers give it a try, just like with any of these tools see if it's useful for their workflows, but I'm not really holding my breath on it being revolutionary.   Bradley Sutton: A lot of the recommendations that Amazon gives in Seller Central is. I think a lot of sellers have learned to just ignore them because they're not exactly that useful.   And then. So, if this is, it's like putting lipstick on a pig, you know like sure you could put the AI word up, but if it's being based on something that you don't trust in the first place, you know, might be a little bit of time before we can implement it, but I think that Amazon is definitely moving in the right direction and that Amelia has nothing to do with the customer. You know, like we always say, Amazon is all about the customer, which is true, but I think that's just in itself is a step in the right direction, that, hey, Amazon is doing things that are going to try and help the seller, and that's a trend I've been seeing over the last few years. I think it's a very nice step in the right direction.   Kevin Dolan: On that front, we've definitely been seeing Amazon release features in Seller Central using AI that are more seller oriented, that help sellers to understand their products. They've released their own features for review analysis, which does get some basic, surface level summary statistics that could be helpful for people. I think Amazon is making investments there. However, they're always going to be a little bit step removed from the customer. They're always, at the end of the day, competing with sellers to some degree. There are certain things that they can do, certain things that they're limited on in terms of where their interests lie versus where the sellers lie, and so that's where tools like Helium 10 become much more valuable to customers, and so I do recommend that you look at the full suite of tools that you have available to you, because there's going to be things that Amazon will implement and there's going to be things that they're going to be hesitant to implement, for whatever reason.   Bradley Sutton: All right. Well, Kevin, thank you so much for riffing on this with me. It's something I'm passionate about because I'm all about. I'm not like Amazon, I'm all about the sellers, not about the customers, and so anything that affects sellers or you, you know, if there's going to be some big inherent change in the way that sellers need to do things, then I get very passionate about it. And especially when I hear I don't want to, you know, use the word misinformation, you know out there, but almost like scare tactics or just clickbaity stuff, which I just did in this very podcast with the title of it but with at least, if you're in a clickbait, at least let people know that what the real situation is, because I don't want I've had so many sellers come up to me because of just hearing things where it's like, oh, my goodness, I've got to change everything I'm doing for my keyword research.   I've got to change everything I'm doing for my listing optimization. And right now, the fact of the matter is, no, I'm still doing the exact same things I did last year. There are some slightly different things because there's new rules at Amazon of what you can and can't do and of course, I've switched, but as far as the way I make my listings and I structure it and how I do my keyword research. Not one iota different am I doing it now, and I have had the exact same success with getting to page one on all my main keywords and getting sales for the keywords I think I'm relevant for.   And so I think that's just important to know, guys, that as AI evolves, I'm sure I'm positive there's going to be new things that we might have to do as sellers and stay tuned. We'll let you know what those are, but right now, as long as you've been paying attention to our tutorials the last few years, you're not having to do anything different, in my opinion. So, anyways, thanks, Kevin, let's definitely bring you on in 2025. And you know, who knows, maybe AI will be we'll be driving all of our cars and we're driving like the Jetsons or something. I don't know what's. What's going to happen, but we're going to find out with you next year.   Kevin Dolan: Super excited. Thanks for having me.