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Cassie Kozyrkov
CEO at Data Scientific and Google's first Chief Decision Scientist
Cassie Kozyrkov is a prominent figure in the field of data science and artificial intelligence, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer at Data Scientific, a stealth AI startup based in New York City, since September 2023.13 Before this role, she was notably recognized as Google's first Chief Decision Scientist, a position she held for nearly a decade, where she played a pivotal role in the development of decision intelligence and trained over 20,000 employees in data and AI applications.13
Professional Background
- Data Scientific (CEO, September 2023 - Present)
- Google (Chief Decision Scientist, 2013 - 2023)
- Federal Reserve Bank of New York (Innovation Advisory Council Member, March 2023 - Present)
- Chief (Chief Member, August 2023 - Present)
- intelmatix (Board of Advisors Member, August 2023 - Present)
Contributions and Influence
Kozyrkov is noted for her influence in decision science and has become a sought-after advisor in AI. She is also an active speaker and writer, sharing insights on decision-making and the implications of AI in various forums.12 Her work has been recognized widely, earning her the title of LinkedIn Top Voice in her field.3
Recent Developments
In October 2023, Kozyrkov announced her departure from Google, describing it as part of a personal commitment to not remain at any company for more than ten years. This transition marks a significant shift in her career as she embarks on new projects aimed at leveraging her expertise in decision intelligence.34
Kozyrkov's career trajectory reflects her dedication to advancing the understanding and application of data-driven decision-making processes across various industries.
Highlights
Why might a leader in charge of building an AI system care about how we navigate today’s complexities regarding diversity?
Because there's not one right way to build a complex AI system. Not ever.
The right way depends very much on what the AI system is for... and WHO it is for.
If you care about developing technology in an ethical and responsible manner, it’s your duty to think about all the people your solution could affect. Thinking about them after you’ve built it is irresponsible. The time for it is when you start! And thinking about them isn't enough -- ensure that the people affected by what you're building are given a voice.
Too many people forget that it's the leader's job to make some very subjective decisions that shape the nature of any AI system. Decision-makers must make judgment calls for which there is no right answer, but often there are many wrong answers... especially when the impact lands disproportionately with a minority of the population.
All technology always comes from and is designed by people, which means AI is no more objective than we are. AI is a big fat subjectivity sandwich with a thin slice of objectivity.
A layer of math and data spread on top of the host of utterly subjective choices (What shall we apply AI to? Is it worth doing? In which circumstances? How shall we define success? How well does it need to work? etc.) obscures the ever-present human element and gives an illusion of objectivity.
It’s much flashier to say, “The AI learned to do this task all by itself…” than to tell the truth: “People used a tool with a cool name to help them write code. They fed in examples they considered appropriate, found some patterns in them, and turned those patterns into instructions. Then they checked whether they liked what those instructions did for them.”
The truth drips with human subjectivity — look at all those little choices along the way which are left up to people running the project. Wrapping them in a glamorous coat of math doesn’t make the core any less squishy. Whenever math is applied towards a purpose, that purpose is still shaped by the sensibilities of our times.
That's why so much depends on how the decision-maker sets the priorities. There's a lot they need to consider, especially when it comes to the complexity of an AI system, and it's an awful burden to try to represent everyone all by yourself. That's how a leader fails at this.
The way to succeed is to ensure that you're inviting a diverse set of perspectives to help you see the things you might miss otherwise.
Think of data as textbooks for the AI system. Like regular textbooks, dataset have human authors. A good teacher knows these textbooks need to be checked before they're shown to the student, no matter what it says on the cover. A great teacher knows that one person's review is not enough when the textbook deals with anything important. It's important that datasets, like textbooks, are checked from diverse points of view.
OpenAI's new model o1-preview (aka Strawberry 🍓 ) is here! If you'd prefer not to use up your 30 preview credits, I've recorded a video walkthrough for you comparing my attempt to bait the old model and the new model into the same hallucination: https://lnkd.in/eB4xEasi
Hallucination, reasoning, thinking, and knowing are just some of the words we should be careful about when it comes to our own reasoning about AI systems. There's no thinking happening here, just processing. Processing what? Consistency checks. Instead of simply generating output, Strawberry is built to review what it's outputting (multiple times in parallel) for consensus and consistency.
If you found the video useful, drop me a note in the comments so I know what to do more of next time! ❤️
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Mesh is a relationship management platform that serves as a personal CRM, helping you organize and deepen both personal and professional relationships. It functions as a beautiful rolodex and CRM available on iPhone, Mac, Windows, and web, built automatically to help manage your network efficiently. Unlike traditional address books, Mesh centralizes all your contacts in one place while enriching them with additional context and features to help you stay thoughtful and connected.
Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
- Network Strength: Visualizes the strength of your relationships relative to others in your network
- Timeline: Shows your relationship history with each contact
- Smart Search: Allows you to search using natural language like "People I know at the NYT" or "Designers I've met in London"
- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
- Home Feed: Displays updates about your network including job changes, news mentions, and birthdays
- Groups: Organizes contacts into meaningful categories
- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Mesh is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Mesh as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Mesh offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Mesh takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Mesh encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Mesh work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Mesh is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Mesh is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Mesh is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Mesh offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Mesh offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Mesh for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Mesh accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Mesh offers extensive integration capabilities. Mesh introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Mesh supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Mesh also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
Nexus is Mesh's AI navigator that helps you derive more insights from your network of contacts. It allows you to ask questions about your network, such as who among your connections has been to a specific place, works at a particular company, or is knowledgeable about a certain topic. Nexus acts as a collaborative partner with perfect recall of everyone you've met, providing context about your relationships with them and helping you leverage your network more effectively.
Mesh makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Mesh's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
Mesh isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Mesh instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Mesh is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Mesh can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Mesh is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Mesh's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Mesh has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Mesh a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Mesh's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Mesh's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Mesh has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.