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Michael Housman
AI Speaker and Builder | I help companies leverage AI so they don't get left behind | Singularity University Faculty | EY Tech Faculty
Professional Background
Dr. Michael Housman is a distinguished technologist and data scientist whose career spans over 15 years, primarily focused on the intersections of artificial intelligence and human psychology. With a talent for leading technology teams at various early-stage companies, Dr. Housman has played a pivotal role in architecting platforms designed for a myriad of purposes: from streamlining the hiring of job applicants to enhancing customer communication, identifying fraudulent activities, and facilitating real estate transactions.
Michael's extensive career is marked by his commitment to bridging the gap between quantitative analysis and real-world application. He has held significant roles such as Chief Technology Officer at both Doma and PointPredictive Inc., and also served as Chief Analytics Officer for RapportBoost.AI and Cornerstone OnDemand. His leadership and technical acumen extend to advisory positions at notable organizations such as Homebase and Doma, alongside teaching roles at various prestigious institutions, including EY and Singularity University.
Education and Achievements
Dr. Housman’s educational credentials are impressive and stem from world-renowned institutions. He earned his A.M. and Ph.D. in Applied Economics and Managerial Science from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a program known for its rigorous curriculum and focus on data-driven decision making. Prior to this, he obtained his A.B. in Health Care Policy from Harvard University, where he laid the foundational knowledge that later informed his research and expertise in health analytics.
Beyond his formal education, Dr. Housman has made significant contributions to the field through his research. His work has been published in various peer-reviewed journals, underscoring his authority in data science and applied economics. He has also presented at numerous conferences targeting both academic and practitioner audiences, sharing insights and advancements in technology applications across sectors.
Michael's research contributions have not gone unnoticed, earning him recognition from renowned media outlets. His insights and findings have been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and The Atlantic, showcasing his influence on public discourse around artificial intelligence and data science as they pertain to societal and business contexts.
Notable Achievements
- Leadership in Technology: Dr. Housman has a rich history of leadership roles, having served as CTO and Chief Analytics Officer in multiple organizations, showcasing his versatility and deep understanding of technology strategy and analytics.
- Innovative Platforms: He has architected platforms that revolutionized the way companies hire, communicate, and manage fraud detection, highlighting his innovative contributions to the technology landscape.
- Research and Publication: His scholarly articles and studies have been published in a diverse array of peer-reviewed journals, cementing his reputation as an expert in applying data science within various sectors.
- Teaching and Advisory Roles: Michael's commitment to education is evident through his roles as a faculty member at various institutions and as an advisor at multiple startups, where he influences the next generation of data scientists and technologists.
- Industry Recognition: His work has attracted the attention of major media outlets, furthering the reach and impact of his research and technological advancements.
In summary, Dr. Michael Housman is a leader in the field of data science, leveraging his extensive experience to impact both businesses and educational institutions positively. His unique background in applied economics and managerial science complements his proficiency in artificial intelligence, allowing him to develop transformative technologies that enhance how companies operate today.
Highlights
Why Do We Hold Algorithms to a Higher Standard Than Humans?
Just wrapped up an incredible bootcamp in Madrid with a group of consulting partners. The purpose? To bring them up to speed on the latest and greatest in AI—a request I get very often these days. As always, I found myself learning as much as I was teaching.
During our ethics segment, where I discussed decision-making and bias in AI, one insightful person stopped me with a simple but profound question: “Why do we hold algorithms to a higher standard than humans?” And he’s absolutely right! We accept that humans are fallible, yet we demand near-perfection from algorithms before we trust them with critical tasks—like driving a car or making decisions in criminal justice. This mindset is baffling and, frankly, makes no sense to me.
Take self-driving cars, for example. If we based our choices purely on safety, we would have transitioned to algorithms years ago. Consider this: around 40,000 people die every year in the U.S. due to motor vehicle accidents, and a significant number of these deaths could be prevented if we thought more rationally about risk.
Cruise’s data (yes, it’s from a biased source, but their stats align with what I’ve seen across the field) supports this.
Here's the blunt truth: lawmakers and regulators who slow down the adoption of safer, algorithm-driven technologies are costing lives. There are people who aren't walking this earth today because of fear-driven decisions that hold algorithms to impossible standards. This needs to change.
We need to rethink our approach to AI—it's not about fearing what algorithms might do wrong, but embracing what they can do right, and how they can save lives.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you think we're too harsh on algorithms? Let’s discuss!
UpSmith is a remarkable company (where I'm an advisor / investor) that seeks to solve the country's skilled worker crisis,.
They've put together a outstanding team -- including Wyatt Smith, Santo Brocato, and Andy Luther -- and are looking for a principal data science engineer to help them solve problems and create value for their customers:
https://lnkd.in/g7eC9k6e
Take a look and please reach out to me directly if you think you might be a fit!
#datascience #engineer #ai #machinelearning
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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.