Summary: Mursal Hedayat launched Chatterbox, an All Turtles product, to revolutionize language learning, and it’s a prime example of technology that enhances humans rather than replaces them. Chatterbox is a language and culture training program that employs refugees as tutors. Mursal was inspired to launch Chatterbox because when her mother came to the UK from Afghanistan, she was underemployed. Today, Mursal wants to help refugees make full use of their potential. Show notes Conversation with Mursal Hedayat, founder of Chatterbox, an All Turtles Podcast (1:05) Chatterbox is a platform where people can learn languages with refugees (1:05) What is a life worth living? (4:45) Why shelter and food aren’t the only resources refugees need to build a life (5:02) The importance of the relationship-building aspect of Chatterbox (6:51) Why Chatterbox provides not just language training, but cultural training as well (7:48) What is the pedagogical thesis behind chatterbox? (8:17) Blended pedagogy, combining independent study with one-on-one tutoring (9:07) The missing piece in other online language-learning programs (10:01) The algorithm in development to match learners with tutors (12:54) Advice to entrepreneurs (19:39) The importance of having a strong point of view (21:01) All Turtles’ “Dealing with competition” video (21:46) Omatenashe, the Japanese approach to hospitality involving deeply personal, deeply human interaction (22:17) Rakuten, a Japanese ecommerce company using technology to make drivers more valuable rather than trying to replace them (23:30) Listener question (26:39) From Ari via email: I recently read two articles (this one and this one) related to AI visual systems that clearly show that even a 5-year-old can perform better than an AI visual system. [For example, an algorithm can identify a picture of a vulture, but if the photo is rotated on its axis a few degrees, the algorithm thinks it’s a picture of an orangutan.] I thought these might be the basis for a discussion that debunks the near-term fear of AI overlords, pushed by people like Musk and Hawking. We want to hear from you Please send us your comments, suggested topics, and listener questions for future All Turtles Podcast episodes. Voicemail: +1 (310) 571-8448 Email: hello@all-turtles.com Twitter: @allturtlesco with hashtag #askAT For more from All Turtles, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to our newsletter on our website.
