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In this episode of the Plain Sight podcast, Stewart Alsop interviews Fernando Tarnagol, an AI team training lead at Invisible Technologies. Fernando discusses various topics, including significant AI advancements as seen in Google's public ventures into generative image territory, the integration of BARD into Google and his experiments on AI training. He also shares some fascinating insights on AI's potential future developments and how it could impact our world. Fernando compares the evolution and application of AI to exploring uncharted waters and the need for humans to adapt rapidly to survive. He also expresses his expectation for the rise of general artificial intelligence and the challenges it may bring to entities such as corporation and bureaucracy.
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Timestamps
00:02 Introduction and Guest Background00:41 AI Developments and Google's Role02:13 The Impact of Corporate Politics on AI Progress03:15 Exploring the Crypto World03:32 Guest's Journey into AI06:01 The Intersection of Psychology and Technology06:58 The Advent of Blockchain and AI09:18 The Challenge of Predicting the Future of AI10:14 The Paradigm Shift in Science and Society13:02 The Future of AI: Opportunities and Concerns17:10 The Difficulty of Mastering Multiple Fields in the Age of AI24:22 Adapting to the Rise of AI25:25 The Importance of Learning in the AI Era26:23 The Surprises of AI Training27:18 The Challenges and Evolution of AI Training30:23 The Unique Culture of Invisible31:32 The Future of Corporations and AI39:27 The Potential Dangers of AI41:06 The Role of AI in Bureaucracy42:54 The Possibility of Local AI Models44:52 Closing Thoughts and Contact Information
Key Insights

Google's AI Developments: Fernando highlights Google's recent advancements in generative image AI and integration with BARD. This move is significant in the AI landscape, showing Google’s effort to catch up and integrate AI into its various platforms.


Corporate Dynamics and Innovation: Fernando discusses the challenges large corporations like Google face when innovating, such as the constraints of corporate politics and shareholder expectations. In contrast, startups or stealth companies can be more disruptive due to their agility and freedom from such constraints.


Fernando's Diverse Background: His journey from working in call centers to VR/AR development and blockchain technology showcases the interdisciplinary nature of modern tech careers and the importance of adaptability in rapidly evolving fields like AI.


AI as a New Paradigm: Fernando and Stewart discuss the paradigm shift from deterministic to non-deterministic models in technology. They reflect on how AI represents a significant leap in this direction, marking a transition to more complex, less predictable systems.


Impact of AI on Society and Future Predictions: The discussion acknowledges the profound changes AI will bring, emphasizing the challenges in predicting the future due to the rapid pace of AI development. Fernando stresses the importance of adaptability and continuous learning to keep pace with these changes.


Role of AI in Training and Learning: Fernando talks about the evolving methods of AI training, highlighting the need to constantly adapt and upskill to meet the changing demands of AI development and training.


Invisible Technologies' Unique Approach: Fernando appreciates how Invisible Technologies treats contractors, emphasizing a culture that extends beyond traditional corporate boundaries. This approach helps create a more cohesive, inclusive work environment.


AI’s Potential in Bureaucracy and Everyday Tasks: There's a discussion about how AI could significantly streamline bureaucratic processes, making life easier and more efficient for individuals.


Local vs. Cloud-based AI Models: Fernando sees benefits in both local and cloud-based AI models. Local models can be useful in situations without internet access, while cloud-based

In this episode of the Plain Sight Podcast, Grace Matelich, the Executive Director of Operations at Invisible Technologies, discusses the experiences and challenges of working in a rapid, hyper-growth environment. She shares her thoughts on nurturing the personal and professional growth of her ever-expanding team, managing the 'remote-first' aspect of the work in a constantly evolving dynamic, and the exciting and demanding ride of being part of an innovative tech company. Additionally, Grace dives into artificial intelligence, its capabilities and potential in terms of knowledge management, content creation, and transforming our understanding of the world. She also expresses her vision on the concept of AI as a mirror and its potential implication on society.
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Timestamps
00:02 Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:21 Discussing Hyper Growth in Invisible Technologies
00:57 The Challenges and Excitement of Rapid Company Growth
01:25 Navigating Remote Work and Hyper Growth
03:23 Exploring the Concept of AI as a Mirror
04:23 The Emotional Capacity of AI
07:48 The Importance of Diverse Training Teams in AI
08:35 The Future of Content Creation with AI
16:08 The Role of AI in Multilingual Communication
20:43 Personal Growth in the Midst of Hyper Growth
26:18 Overcoming the Mindset of Finite Energy
27:38 The Importance of Self-Care and Connection
28:30 Managing a Growing Team: Challenges and Strategies
29:24 The Art of Leadership and Mentorship
30:38 The Power of Mindfulness and Reflection
36:15 Navigating Hyper Growth Environments
42:23 The Future of Knowledge Management
47:01 The Tax of Progress and the Future of Autonomy
Key Insights

Hyper-Growth in Companies: Grace describes the experience of working in a hyper-growth environment as both exhilarating and demanding. She likens it to "flying in a rocket ship," highlighting the rapid changes and challenges it presents.


Remote Work Dynamics: With extensive experience in remote work, Grace doesn't focus much on the remote aspect, suggesting it's become second nature to her. She emphasizes the importance of asynchronous communication and creating connections in a remote setting, especially in a hyper-growth environment.


AI as a Mirror of Humanity: Grace discusses AI's role as a reflection of humanity since it is trained on human data. She explores the idea that AI, much like humans, can be seen as a "hallucination machine" creating content based on the data it has learned from.


Emotional Capacity in AI: The conversation touches on the current state of AI and its lack of emotional capacity. Grace argues that while AI can mimic emotions on the surface, it does not have a grounded experience of life and emotions like humans do.


Knowledge Management in Hyper-Growth Environments: Grace points out the challenges of knowledge management in a rapidly changing environment. She stresses the importance of prioritization in knowledge capture and the need for scalable methods to disseminate knowledge effectively.


Personal Growth Amidst Organizational Changes: Grace shares her personal approach to managing growth, both for herself and her team. She talks about the importance of self-management, consistency, and setting personal boundaries to ensure effective leadership and team support.


Future of Content Creation: Grace envisions a future where AI could play a significant role in content creation, speculating about a world where shows like "Friends" could be created based on user specifications.


Role of AI in Expanding Human Creativity and Content Consumption: The discussion delves into how AI might change our interaction with content, potentially leading to a higher appreciation for live performances and human creativity.


Challenges in Multilingual AI Training: Grace discusses the complexities of training AI in multiple languages, which requires a diverse team of trainers and a deep understanding of each language's nuanc

In this episode of the Plain Sight podcast, Stewart Alsop talks with Rene Arias, an indispensable team member serving as the Information Technologies Administrator at Invisible Technologies. Rene shares the roots of his nickname, 'Hermes', and how he earned it through his reliable and swift problem-solving skills from the early days of the company. He also details his unexpected journey to Invisible, moving from chinchilla rancher to tech expert. Rene delves into how the sense of community and shared goals in a startup such as Invisible Technologies fosters trust. He also outlines how an AI revolution has unfolded within the company during his time there. This episode provides glimpses into both the professional and personal lives of Rene, including his intriguing encounters with his African Grey parrot, Leia.
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Timestamps
00:02 Introduction and Guest Presentation
00:08 Rene's Role at Invisible Technologies
00:28 The Story Behind Rene's Nickname 'Hermes'
01:51 Rene's Journey to Invisible Technologies
03:39 Rene's Career Progression at Invisible Technologies
04:41 Rene's Experience of Becoming a Partner
07:15 Rene's Previous Work Experiences
07:33 Rene's Experience Working at a Chinchilla Ranch
14:59 The Role of Trust in Invisible Technologies
20:41 Rene's Role in the AI Revolution at Invisible Technologies
23:12 Rene's Unique Role and Trust in the Organization
33:27 Rene's Pet Parrot and Chinchilla
41:54 Conclusion and Contact Information
Key Insights

Role at Invisible Technologies: Rene Arias serves as an Information Technologies Administrator at Invisible Technologies. He plays a crucial role in resolving technical issues and is highly regarded for his efficiency and reliability, earning him the nickname "Hermes" after the Greek messenger of the gods.


Joining Invisible Technologies: Rene's journey to Invisible began through a Facebook post by Skylar Stevens, a former partner at Invisible. His pre-existing trust and reputation led to him being hired for a role initially termed as "the century role," reflecting his responsibility in guarding sensitive information and managing internal processes.


Career Evolution at Invisible: Rene has experienced significant growth in his career at Invisible Technologies, evolving from an agent to a specialist, and ultimately to a partner by the end of 2021. His promotion to partner was a recognition of his dedication and hard work, particularly his close collaboration with Francis Pedraza, the former CEO.


Work Experience Prior to Invisible: Before joining Invisible Technologies, Rene worked in various roles, including as a Lyft driver, a waiter, and interestingly, at a chinchilla ranch. His responsibilities at the chinchilla ranch included caring for the animals and ensuring they found good homes.


The Startup Environment: Rene's experience at Invisible Technologies marks his first foray into the startup world. He highlights the sense of community and collaboration at Invisible, despite being a remote company. The startup environment at Invisible is characterized by a shared goal and collective progression.


Remote Work Culture at Invisible: Rene discusses the successful implementation of a remote work culture at Invisible. He attributes this success to a strong emphasis on culture and community, allowing for open communication and creative freedom among employees.


Impact of AI on Invisible Technologies: Rene has witnessed the integration and evolution of AI within the company. He compares this experience to being part of a pioneering phase similar to the early days of the dot-com era, highlighting the potential of AI to transform processes and efficiencies within the company.


Rene's Personal Interests: Outside of his professional life, Rene has a passion for parrots, particularly his African Grey parrot named Leia. He shares interesting anecdotes about Leia's intelligence and personality, demonstrating his deep interest in

In this episode of 'Plain Sight' podcast, Stewart Alsop welcomes Ai Yukino, Data Scientist at Invisible Technologies. The discussion covers how Invisible Technologies aims to make complex business problems disappear through its innovative approach. Ai shares her perspective on the evolving world of artificial intelligence and data science, detailing her thought process and experiences. They also delve into the tools used for data science, the concept of locally-hosted AI, machine learning, and the future of AI in mobile devices. The podcast wraps up with a conversation about potential challenges in coding and AI model implementation. Ai also highlights her upcoming work in self-hosted models at Invisible Technologies.
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Timestamps
00:00 Introduction to the Plain Sight Podcast00:04 Understanding Invisible Technologies00:22 The Philosophy Behind Invisible Technologies01:13 Interview with Ai Yukino, Data Scientist at Invisible01:21 Discussion on Microphone and Audio Gear02:28 Ai Yukino's Teaching Experience and Tech Setup03:02 Living and Working in Buenos Aires04:35 Ai Yukino's Teaching Subjects and Background05:17 Use of AI in Coding05:42 Exploring Niche Packages in Data Science10:00 The Role of AI in Learning New Topics10:45 The Future of Specialist Knowledge and AI16:10 The Impact of AI Revolution17:15 Understanding Artificial General Intelligence20:17 Defining Reason and Sentiment Analysis20:26 Human-like vs Alien-like Intelligence22:15 Anthropomorphizing AI Systems24:19 The Role of Incentives in AI25:51 Understanding Data Science and Machine Learning30:18 The Value of Data in AI35:24 The Evolution of Tools in Technology41:15 The Future of Locally Hosted AI Models44:48 Closing Remarks and Contact Information
Key Insights

Data Science versus Machine Learning: Yukino differentiates between data science and machine learning. She describes data science as an interdisciplinary field that uses tools from statistics, applied math, and machine learning to gain insights from data. The focus is on understanding the data: its origins, generation, and what it reveals. Machine learning, in contrast, is about developing and using models, with less emphasis on the data itself and more on building useful applications.


Importance of Data in Machine Learning: When discussing machine learning, Yukino acknowledges the crucial role of data. She notes that even though the emphasis in machine learning is on building models, these models require good quality data to be effective. The data remains important, not just for a single model but for future iterations and improvements.


The Role and Value of Data: Yukino also delves into the continuing value of data even after it has been used to train a model. She uses the analogy of an oil company using data to locate oil wells; once the oil is found, the data used might seem redundant but retains long-term value for future explorations and improving accuracy of models.


Machine Learning Tools and Flexibility: Yukino touches on the topic of machine learning tools and the importance of flexibility in their use. She suggests that while there are standard tools in the field, one can be successful in data science even without mastering all of them. She emphasizes the importance of adapting to new tools, especially given the rapid developments in AI and machine learning technologies.


Self-Hosted Models and Future Prospects: Yukino expresses excitement about the future possibility of self-hosted models in AI. She looks forward to the potential of fine-tuning these models for specific applications, which could unlock a lot of capabilities in various fields.

In this episode of the Plain Sight podcast, Operations Analyst at Invisible Technologies, Daniel Ristestki, discusses the opportunities and challenges of integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into business operations. He explains his role as a bridge between operations and technology within the company, and the significant role of knowledge management. Daniel provides insights into how Invisible strives to make work feel like an interactive game, thereby boosting employee comfort and productivity in a remote working environment. He emphasizes the importance of constant learning and adaptation in the age of AI, and notes the potential for the technology to streamline routines and enhance efficiency - if properly understood and implemented. Despite popular misconceptions of AI as a threat, Daniel sees it as a tool for progress and a derivative of human's long history of technological evolution.
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Timestamps
00:02 Introduction and Guest Presentation
00:18 Understanding the Role of an Operations Analyst
01:16 Exploring the Concept of Knowledge Management
05:10 The Impact of Remote Work and Knowledge Management
05:33 The Evolution of Work: From Traditional to Remote
06:47 The Benefits and Challenges of Remote Work
11:07 The Role of Technology in Shaping Work Environments
16:33 The Industrial Revolution and Its Impact on Work
23:51 The Future of Work: AI and Automation
26:25 The Impact of Automation and AI on Jobs
27:11 The Role of Invisible in the AI Revolution
28:31 The Evolution of Work and Efficiency
29:27 The Application of AI in Invisible
31:02 The Future of AI and Work Optimization
34:43 The Challenges and Misconceptions about AI
41:58 The Role of AI in Coding and Development
48:43 The Personal Journey of an AI Early Adopter
Key Insights
 

AI as an Enabler of Optimization: Daniel emphasizes that AI's primary role in the workplace is to optimize processes. It's not about replacing human labor but enhancing and streamlining work processes. By automating routine tasks, AI can allow employees to focus on more complex, creative tasks that require human judgment.


Transformation of Work Practices: The use of AI and technology is fundamentally changing how work is conducted. Daniel points out that tasks which used to take a significant amount of time can now be accomplished much more quickly with the aid of AI tools. This shift is leading to a transformation in job roles, where workers are required to adapt and develop new skills to work alongside AI systems.


Remote Work and Knowledge Management: Daniel discusses how Invisible Technologies, where he works, leverages remote work and AI for effective knowledge management. The idea is to create an environment where employees feel comfortable and can thrive, which is particularly important in remote settings. The use of AI tools in such environments can aid in managing and disseminating knowledge more effectively.


Cultural Shift and Acceptance of AI: There's a significant cultural aspect to the adoption of AI in the workplace. According to Daniel, skepticism and comfort with existing methods can be barriers to adopting AI. He stresses the importance of understanding and adapting to new technologies rather than fearing them.


AI and Nonlinear Outputs: Daniel talks about how AI, particularly machine learning models like Large Language Models (LLMs), can produce nonlinear outputs that are not always predictable. He emphasizes the importance of understanding how to interact with these models and how to prompt them effectively to get reliable and useful results.


AI as a Tool for Progress: Daniel likens AI to historical tools like the plow in agriculture, which drastically reduced the time required for certain tasks. He views AI as a modern tool that, when used correctly, can significantly enhance productivity and efficiency.


Adaptation and Continuous Learning: Finally, Daniel highlights

In this episode of the Plain Sight podcast, Sam Mata, the Director of Operations at Invisible Technologies, discusses the company's approach to solving complex business problems and the philosophy behind their operations. He describes how Invisible has evolved over the years, using AI to optimize operations and how this has affected the nature of their work. Sam talks about Invisible's role as an AI trainer, the potential of Augmented Intelligence and his insights into team management and coordination. He also describes how AI has affected the productivity within the company and how it's becoming an integral part of Invisible's services.
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Timestamps
00:00 Introduction to Invisible Technologies01:11 Understanding Operations at Invisible Technologies02:04 The Role of Technology in Operations02:14 Invisible's Approach to Operations03:23 Invisible's Unique Approach to Client Engagement04:32 Understanding the Client's Needs04:46 The Evolution of Invisible Technologies05:14 The Sales and Discovery Process at Invisible10:48 The Challenges of Knowledge Management21:48 The Role of AI in Invisible's Operations24:32 The Role of AI in Business Optimization24:54 The Intersection of AI and Business Operations25:42 Leveraging AI Tools for Business Efficiency26:38 Innovative Use of AI in Documentation27:44 Exploring AI's Potential in Automating Business Processes29:28 The Impact of AI on Business Flexibility30:02 The Concept of Human Augmentation in the AI Era32:36 The Future of AI and Human Augmentation33:31 The Role of AI in Job Creation and Productivity34:38 The Fear and Reality of AI36:33 The Impact of AI on Programming44:41 The Role of AI in Teamwork and Collaboration48:42 The Importance of Quality in AI Model Outputs50:20 Conclusion: The Future of AI in Invisible
Key Insights

Operations Innovations at Invisible: Invisible Technologies is not just about executing tasks for clients but embedding themselves into their clients' teams to deeply understand and enhance their operations. They aim to optimize processes to be better, faster, and cheaper, moving beyond traditional Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) models.


Custom Solutions and Use of AI: Invisible leverages technology, including AI, to provide custom solutions. The company has evolved from using human labor for tasks to developing technology-driven processes, making operations more efficient. Sam Mata highlighted specific use cases where AI and automation have played a crucial role in improving services, like automating the generation of printable agendas from Google Calendars and extracting product tags from descriptions.


Cultural Alignment and Continuous Learning: The conversation touched upon the importance of preserving individual creativity within a team while aligning towards common goals. Sam emphasized the need for continuous learning and adaptation, especially in the rapidly evolving field of AI and operations.


Augmentation vs. Replacement: Sam and the host discussed the concept of human augmentation through AI, focusing on how AI tools can empower individuals and teams to perform higher-level tasks by taking over more mundane or repetitive aspects of their work. The idea is to enhance human capabilities, not replace them.


Challenges of Knowledge Management: The discussion also ventured into the complexities of knowledge management, especially in large, fast-paced organizations like Invisible. They explored strategies for effective knowledge dissemination and documentation, including the use of AI to convert spoken conversations into structured documentation.


Visibility into Operations: Sam provided insights into how Invisible works closely with clients to deeply understand their processes and tailor their operations to meet specific client needs. This involves a proactive approach to understanding the nuances of each client's operations and co