…In order to do good and have beautiful things in life, you have to work hard, oftentimes getting dirty in the process. There was a lot of trial and error when first starting our business. But we persevered and were able to create an amazing company that is doing amazing things in the public safety sector. Without those trials and trepidation, we would not have been able to build something so special…
I had the pleasure of interviewing Alex Dizengof. Alex Dizengof is the co-founder and CTO of Carbyne, a platform that provides rich-media call handling to emergency responders. Dizengof is a software architect and algorithm developer with over a decade of development experience. Alex has previously developed machine learning algorithms for robots and mobile platforms, as well as cybersecurity software for the Prime Minister’s office. Alex holds a BSc in Computer Science from Bar Ilan University and is responsible for driving Carbyne’s technological vision.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory and how you grew up?
I grew up the child of immigrants, as well as an immigrant myself, having moved from the USSR to Israel at the age of six. A new country, a new language, and a new culture — it was a big change for me. I went to school, graduated from high school, served in the army, and then went to college.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Interestingly enough, the most interesting thing I’ve experienced since beginning my career also stressed the importance of the solution I was creating.
While working in our Tel Aviv office one day, we heard a commotion. People were screaming and calling for help. Running to see what had happened, we saw that large, heavy pipes fell as a crane was offloading them from a truck. One of these large pipes crushed a worker that was there to collect the pipes. So, I called the Israeli version of 911 and was able to send them a live video of the situation. They were able to guide me with very specific instructions on how to help the individual as well as stabilize the situation. First responders were also able to reach the accident site very quickly because they had our exact location by using our technology. Seeing how our solution was used in real life was one of the most impactful stories of my career. It showed me how much Carbyne is essential to saving lives and how it was (and is) a necessity to provide first responders with eyes on the ground during an emergency, from the moment someone calls in an emergency.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
So many people have had a profound impact on my career. I’m so grateful to all of them. I am especially grateful to the people I started Carbyne with: Yoni and Amir. We built the company from the ground up. Endless nights building the solution together and working from my apartment in Tel Aviv with basically no salary. Amir handled the business side and Yoni and I worked on the technological solutions together. I would not be where I am today without them. Founding a company is very difficult. Doing it alone is even harder. I’m lucky I had two great friends and leaders by my side.
Our first customer was the Israeli city of Ashdod. Our office was my apartment. It was an exciting period. But one also riddled with many question marks and unknowns. But together, we were able to find success. And, because of Amir and Yoni by our side, Carbyne was able to grow and see continued success.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite “Life Lesson Quote” is actually a quote I heard during a podcast by the CEO of Salesforce, Marc Benioff, originally attributed to the Buddhist monk and peace activist, Thich Nhat Hanh: “No mud, no lotus.”
In order to do good and have beautiful things in life, you have to work hard, oftentimes getting dirty in the process.
There was a lot of trial and error when first starting our business. But we persevered and were able to create an amazing company that is doing amazing things in the public safety sector. Without those trials and trepidation, we would not have been able to build something so special.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Perseverance and Resilience: starting a company is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. You need to be ready to run the long run. Success does not come overnight. Many challenges are going to be thrown your way. It’s how you handle those challenges that define your product. I remember one of our first customers in America. We were scheduled to deploy our product in an emergency communication center in Texas and things weren’t working as planned. In two days’ time, government officials and the press were going to visit the emergency communication center to see the amazing power of next generation 911 technology, powered by Carbyne. But, as we were deploying the solution, we encountered some issues. It was too late to cancel the announcement or reschedule the press event. So, for 48 hours our hotel became our office and we spent the entire time going over the existing code and writing additional code to fix the issues. I made a promise to the director and I wasn’t going to break it. And we fixed the issue. Carbyne launched successfully and it was a huge success.
Empathy: We are only as good as our co-workers. We could not provide solutions which are disrupting the field without amazing engineers and staff. We owe them a lot. It is essential to show your coworkers empathy and give them flexibility in order to empower them. Working in a start-up is not the traditional nine-to-five job. There are endless nights and challenges. But these people have lives outside of work and it’s important to see them as people and give them the resources they need to succeed in life, not just in the office.
Visionary Thinking: Technology is changing so fast that we always need to be ready to accept new technological advancements as well as understand what will add value to your product and what won’t. You must have the ability to constantly move forward. With the rate of technological advancements increasing and accelerating, you cannot stand still. If you don’t think ahead, you are getting held back. I am always trying to think of new solutions to better help our customers. Carbyne was one of the first companies to successfully incorporate AI into a 911 platform and today, it is helping customers that don’t speak English get immediate help as well as reduce call wait times in emergency communication centers.
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. Share the story of what inspired you to start working with AI. Was there a particular problem or opportunity that motivated you?
Carbyne is a company devoted to saving lives. While our direct customers are cities, municipalities, states, ultimately our customers are the citizens. They are the ones calling 911 and requesting help. One of the biggest challenges for 911 centers today is a staffing shortage. There simply aren’t enough people to answer 911 calls. As such, people need to stay on the line for a long time until someone answers the call. And during an emergency, every second counts. As such, we started to look into how AI can help answer calls in emergency situations. By empowering AI into call triage, calls get answered faster and repetitive calls do not tie up the lines. Furthermore, we are utilizing AI to help non-native speakers get immediate help during an emergency. Previously, dispatchers had to wait to get a translator on the call. Carbyne is utilizing AI to allow callers to get immediate translation services: a caller speaks in their native language, while the dispatcher receives an English translation, and vice versa. Therefore, there is no delay due to language barriers. We’ve also seen a lot of success with our AI powered transcription services. Sometimes the call quality isn’t very good or the person can’t talk loud, but Carbyne is able to still transcribe the call. As such, the dispatcher can respond accurately to the situation and not waste time repeating the questions.
Describe a moment when AI achieved something you once thought impossible. What was the breakthrough, and how did it impact your approach going forward?
AI has been around for years, but it wasn’t a plausible solution until recently. However, once AI passed the “Turing Test” — a test that can determine whether a machine can exhibit intelligent behavior indistinguishable from that of a human — did its possibilities become truly endless. We have entered a time where AI is so helpful that its usage is getting indistinguishable from that of humans. That was my “Eureka!” moment when I started to allow myself to imagine its possibilities in the public safety arena and harness the power of AI to help save lives in emergency situations. These possibilities are only going to become greater as AI improves.
Talk about a challenge you faced when working with AI. How did you overcome it, and what was the outcome?
AI tests the limits of what is possible. It can provide solutions to many issues that people face during 911 calls. However, we must be very careful to ensure that AI follows protocol and adheres to the highest level of consumer privacy, especially in the field of public safety. I can’t say that we found all the answers, but we are definitely working on it and are very careful to incorporate AI only when consumer privacy is ensured and we can guarantee the AI will follow the protocol. We are taking an agentic-based approach to AI and are seeing a lot of success by decomposing big problems to small parts and using AI to solve these small tasks.
Can you share an example of how your work with AI has had a meaningful impact (on others, on business results, etc)? What was the situation, and what difference did it make?
Approximately 20% of Americans don’t speak English at home, with 8% not able to communicate fully in English. As such, there are many challenges when non-English speakers call 911 during an emergency. By providing immediate translation services for both the caller and the dispatcher, immediate help is being provided. This saves invaluable time sending help and providing resources and instructions to the caller. Every second counts in the realm of public safety. AI helps bring down language barriers so help can be provided equally — whether a caller can communicate in English or not.
Here is the main question for our discussion. Based on your experience and success, can you please share “Five Things You Need To Know To Help Shape The Future of AI”? (Please share a story or an example, for each.)
Faster response times: AI can help shape customer experiences by providing faster response times, thus also reducing wait times. As society is moving faster and faster, people have less patience. AI helps bridge the gap between ability and wants.
Improved accuracy: AI language models can provide more accurate and contextual translation compared to rule-based or phrase-based translation systems. This helps ensure that call takers fully comprehend the caller’s emergency and can respond appropriately, reducing the risk of misunderstandings.
Scalability: AI-powered translation can handle a high volume of calls in multiple languages simultaneously, allowing 911 centers to serve a diverse population effectively. This is especially important in areas with large non-English speaking communities, where the demand for translation services can be high.
Increased accessibility: By providing seamless language translation, AI solutions can ensure that all callers, regardless of their primary language, have equal access to emergency services. This helps address disparities in emergency response and ensures that language barriers do not prevent individuals from receiving the help they need.
Improved caller experience: The ability to communicate directly with the 911 operator in their native language can greatly reduce the stress and confusion experienced by non-English speaking callers during an emergency. This can lead to a more positive outcome for the caller and better overall emergency response.
When you think about the future of AI, what excites you the most, and how do you see your work contributing to that future?
AI can help address worker shortages, which many industries are currently facing. By streamlining tasks and improving efficiency, AI offers companies practical solutions for better customer service and operational management.
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs who want to innovate in AI? Can you share a story from your experience that illustrates your advice?
AI is not a “one size fits all” answer. Just because the technology is available, doesn’t mean that it will provide the solution you are looking for. You need to see if AI can help you solve a problem that the customer cares about, instead of deciding that AI must be the solution.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Ilya Sutskever. He is a pioneer in the AI field and I would love to discuss his insights on the future of AI and how it can further transform public safety and emergency response systems.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Cloud Native Emergency Communication Response Platform | Carbyne
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational, and we wish you continued success in your important work.
Thank you so much for sharing all of these great insights!
Alex Dizengof Of Carbyne On Pushing the Boundaries of AI was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.