Tom Gruber | Co-Founder, Siri | Humanistic AI Pioneer
Helping Siri’s Co-Founder Shine, Onstage and Online
A pioneering inventor envisions a future where AI helps us achieve superhuman performance in perception, creativity, and cognitive function. We helped him answer the call from TED, refining a groundbreaking talk on the future of AI that’s now been viewed by millions.
How smart can our machines make us? Siri co-founder Tom Gruber has asked that question since before the dawn of the Web. He envisions what he calls “Humanistic AI”: Artificial Intelligence that collaborates with us, instead of competing with (or replacing) us.
In 2017, Tom was prepping to share his vision on the main-stage TED stage. This was a big deal — a high-stakes chance to evangelize his philosophy to some of the world’s most powerful influencers. Tom had a solid working script and deck. But it needed work to get to where he wanted it. A colleague introduced us, and we jumped in.
“Alison and Matt are a great team, bringing expertise and taste in design and editorial and the ability to work really well together. They have helped immensely with the polish and delivery of my professional talks, which have reached a wide audience.”
– Tom Gruber
SERVICES
Scriptwriting | Slide Design | Photo Illustration
Our Work
During multiple live sessions, we worked with Tom to refine the script. We cut redundancies and sharpened language. We added more “Tom” and personal touches.
We added storytelling and data at the right points. We upgraded every visual to help the audience imagine the beauty and creativity of the future he envisions.
Then, we ran it again and again, focusing on content and cadence, so Tom could truly get it into his body and have fun onstage. Practice means freedom — especially on the TED stage. Tom rose to the challenge.
Tom stepped out onto that TED red dot and had fun. With infectious enthusiasm and tangible examples, Tom painted a vision of a world where AI collaborates with humans — from turbocharging our design skills to helping us remember everything we've ever read and the name of everyone we've ever met. He showed tangible examples of Humanistic AI at work in medicine, design, and cognitive enhancement. "We are in the middle of a renaissance in AI," he said. "Every time a machine gets smarter, we get smarter."
The Result
Tom’s TED talk now has over 2.3 million views and counting. It helped give a global platform for his message and set him up as a go-to speaker on the topic. Today, Tom is represented by top talent agency CAA, and speaks on Humanistic AI to audiences all around the world.
Collaborating with Tom was (and is) a delight. He’s got one of those brains that’s constantly engaged with life and what’s new, now, and next. He’s not just an interesting thinker – he’s an interesting human.
Let’s Do That Again
Following TED, we kept the party going. We worked with Tom to create a few new talks he conceived of from scratch. Tom is a great writer and a deep thinker. Our job as designers and thinking partners was to help him with structure and visuals. To tell what can often be a pretty nerdy and esoteric story in ways that inspire both general and techy audiences.
These talks happened at the height of the pandemic and needed to be presented virtually. Fortunately, Tom is also an ace videographer and photographer, so we focused on making these virtual talks as dynamic and visually arresting as his live performances.
Below are some key frames from the visuals accompanying Tom’s talks
SERVICES
Site Design | Photo Illustration | Copywriting & Editing
Creating a Legacy to Build On
As Tom’s personal brand has gained traction, he realized his personal site needed an upgrade.
Tom’s original website, which he built himself back in the Web 1.0 days, had amazing SEO. Our job was to update the look and the content to reflect where he's been, where he is now and where he wants to go next.
The new site captures the “whole human” Tom: AI expert, inventor, ocean advocate, conservation photographer, and impact investor. The content hierarchy allows visitors to skim categories at a glance – or, fall happily down a wormhole reading Tom’s archive of deep-tech articles from the way-way back. Tom’s Speaker page is now a robust resource for folks looking to book him. The blog gives him a flexible platform as he continues to evolve his thinking and shape the future.
Visually, we went for a modern, clean, clear aesthetic – bright and optimistic, like Tom. Modern WordPress templates allow the site to adapt seamlessly to desktop or mobile.
The site can now continue to evolve as Tom evolves. And one thing’s certain: Tom will continue to evolve.
“Alison and Matt of Alimat are a great team, bringing expertise and taste in design and editorial and the ability to work really well together. They have helped immensely with the polish and delivery of my professional talks, which have reached a wide audience.
They also did a great job helping me relaunch my web site, bringing in other web development experts as needed. With their help, we were able to tell the story of my interests and contributions spanning a long career, crafting content that works for me without the usual marketing slant.”
Tom Gruber
Co-Founder, Siri; Humanistic AI Pioneer
