Pete Trainor, Us Ai – InnovaBuzz 148
Pete Trainor, Us Ai
In this episode, I’m really excited to have on the InnovaBuzz podcast as my guest, Pete Trainor, a bestselling author, behavioural designer, technologist, accidental polymath, mens mental health campaigner and co-founder of Us Ai in London.
Pete talks all over the world on creative & social technologies, data, artificial intelligence and the physiological & psychological effects on their audiences. Over the last three years, Pete has helped to pioneer an entirely new approach to Ai focused services, one that looks at ‘self-evolving systems’ and ‘minimum viable personality’ to help solve societal and human issues.
In our discussion, Pete talked to me about
- Personalising Ai, using the data gathered to evolve the algorithms involved, to enable solving very specific problems. He shared one example from his work in mens’ mental health.
- The challenges and responsibility that comes with access to data, both at the level of those sharing their data and those collecting and using data
- and how removing the screens from the process, can lead to more human-like and personal interactions with AI
Dave Birss on Episode 143 introduced us to Pete.
Listen to the podcast to find out more.
Listen to the Podcast
We can really do amazing things if we use data that we generate in a much more focused and targeted way. @PeteTrainor on #InnovaBuzz podcast Click To Tweet
Show Notes from this episode with Pete Trainor of Us Ai
Key points and take-aways from this episode include:
- Pete’s book, “Hippo: The Human Focused Digital Book”, is all about re-aligning design thinking in a way that enriches humanity.
- Stop using the word “user” to refer to people.
- We can really do amazing things if we use data that we generate in a much more focused and targeted way.
- Suicide is the biggest killer of men. Pete is passionate about improving men’s mental health and Ai can be one tool in that quest.
- Technology is matured. It can be used for coaching. It can be used for life support, and to help men and women understand the impact of their behavior and what they could do to possibly change their behavior. It can be used for something potentially life-changing.
- Being respectful is the pillar that every technology business should have.
- Beyond data protection regulations of what we can and cannot collect, there is an education piece that needs to be addressed. We should use data to generate something more worthwhile.
- We spend a lot of time planning the “user” journey or crafting the customer journey when in reality every human being is on a journey we know nothing about!
- Trying to classify and categorise anybody is a fool’s game.
- It is tempting to believe that computers will be neutral and objective, but at the end of the day, algorithms are just human opinions embedded in mathematics.
- Unemotional intelligence, having a completely objective response to things not based on factors that are hormonal, is where the real benefit lies.
- To do something scary or something that is not comfortable to your thought is innovative.
The Buzz – Our Innovation Round
Here are Pete’s answers to the questions of our Innovation round. Listen to the interview to get the full scoop.
- #1 thing to be more innovative – Stepping away from your comfort zone. Innovations happen at the fringes.
- Best thing for new ideas – Setting up a business. It is where you can really start to do innovation without someone’s permission. Leave the rat race and do something that you believe in.
- Favourite tool for innovation – Grammarly.
- Keep project / client on track – Honesty. Having conversations. Taking clients for a walk. Transparency.
- Differentiate – Be authentic. We are all different. We are all wonderful within. Trying to be a clone of someone you admire or someone you look up to is a fool’s errand. To be different, you just have to be yourself and stand for the thing that you believe in.
To Be a Leader
Be respectful. Be kind. You do not need to be mean to be successful.
Reach Out
You can reach out and thank Pete through his website, Linkedin and on Twitter.
Suggested Guest
Pete suggested I interview Ghela Boskovich, Founder and Global Ambassador of FemTechGlobal. So Ghela, keep an eye on your inbox for an invitation from us to the InnovaBuzz podcast, courtesy of Pete Trainor.
Links
- Website – Us Ai
- Twitter – @PeteTrainor
- Grammarly
- Free Grammar Checker by Grammarly
Books
Cool things about Pete
- As a young child, he was a fan of Postman Pat and wanted to be a postman.
- He chairs the Ai Think Tank for The British Interactive Media Association.
- In 2017, he was included in Econsultancy’s 2017 industry report as one of the 5 most influential people in the British digital industry.