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Rich Merrett
AI Innovation Lead, EchoDad, and Leading Global SSML Expert
Richard Merrett is an AI Innovation Lead at The Citation Group, a position he started in January 2024.1 He is based in London, England, United Kingdom.
Professional Background
Prior to joining The Citation Group, Richard held several notable positions:
- Creative Strategist at Vixen Labs (February 2022 - January 2024)1
- Producer at Vixen Labs (July 2021 - February 2022)1
- Co-Founder & Head of Projects, Voice Design and Voice Strategy at Veni Loqui (August 2017 - February 2022)1
Expertise and Focus Areas
Richard is known for his expertise in:
- Voice and AI technologies
- Conversation design
- Amazon Alexa and Google Home platforms
- SSML (Speech Synthesis Markup Language)
He has worked with major clients including TuneIn, Dyson, Guide Dogs, Amazon, McDonald's, Verizon, Hive, and Finish.1
Entrepreneurial Ventures
Richard co-founded Veni Loqui, a company focused on creating bespoke voice experiences for Amazon Alexa and Google Home platforms. The company aims to address issues in the social care sector, particularly loneliness among the elderly.1
Certifications and Skills
Richard holds several certifications, including:
- Generative AI Fundamentals (Google)
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
- Prince2 Practitioner and Foundation
- Qualified Teacher Status1
Recognition
He has been nominated for several awards in the voice and AI field, including:
- Project Voice Best Amazon Alexa Skill Nominee (2019)
- Project Voice Voice/AI Commentator of the Year Nominee (2019)
- Alexa Skills Challenge Best Alexa Game for Echo Show/Spot Finalist (2018)1
Richard Merrett is a respected figure in the AI and voice technology industry, known for his innovative work and contributions to the field.
Highlights
Super happy to announce that today is my first day as AI Innovation Lead at Citation Group. I'm super excited to be starting this position and get stuck into it! #newjob
I had a really interesting conversation with Curt Doty on the ReaLmIQ podcast this week. We covered a broad spectrum of topics from the future of Conversational AI, to how regulation shouldn't impede innovation, how important people with creative skills are in a world where we can all create something, and how comedians are not going to be out of the job just yet as well as a whole host of other topics from ethics to (as you might expect) SSML!
Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/e9vC5WHk
Or if you're sick of my face by this point, you can listen to it the old-fashioned way on all of your favourite podcasting platforms.
#conversationalai #voicetechnology #podcast #SSML #generativeai
