Hi,

This week’s newsletter is about the emergence and growth of AI voice tools.

Let’s jump right in.

Let’s dive in ⬇️

Fairly recently, I stumbled across a new AI voice platform called Pine. The product brands itself as “an AI agent that takes hassles off your plate - handling customer service calls, refunds, and more.”

Essentially, it can make outbound phone calls for you and handle inquiries in an effort to save you time.

It reached #1 on Product Hunt when it launched and seemed to have pretty strong reviews so I thought it’d be fun to try out and see how it works.

A few minutes later, I was mind blown.

I used it to reschedule a doctor’s appointment and couldn’t believe it.

The platform prompted me to enter relevant information like:

• my name

• birthday

• insurance information

• date and time of original appointment

• date and time (or window of time) of requested new appointment

The platform isn’t completely free - it requires a small tip in exchange for handling tasks that it considers to save you money. You have the ability to dictate what the tip is and it can be as low as a few dollars.

I entered in all of my information and after pressing GO, within a few minutes, I received confirmation the appointment was rescheduled.

The platform provides conversation summaries so I was able to read and see the conversation that took place and confirm the appointment was indeed rescheduled.

I sat there and thought 2 things to myself:

1. I am so glad I may never have to call that doctor’s office again to reschedule something lol (we all have that one doctor who takes forever to answer the phone)

2. We’re really in a mind blowing era of technology

Now…this post isn’t specifically about Pine. What they built is awesome but it’s about the technology, where we’re headed, and how the use case can change human behavior.

Google’s Search Lab introduced a similiar concept this year, allowing early users to use AI to virtually call auto repair shops to make appointments.

We’re rapidly approaching an era where humans won’t actually need to pick up the phone and make phone calls to get things done - what happens when AI can do it for you?

What happens when AI can call customer service for you and negotiate for 30 minutes on your behalf to get that refund?

What happens when AI can sit on the phone with Delta for 2 hours and reschedule your flight for you without you having to do it?

These tools will also affect the music and entertainment industry.

For example, what happens when an artist or their team can use AI to schedule and handle all of its communication with hotels when traveling or booking a tour?

Or when someone develops an AI platform that can remind artists and their teams of logistical happenings around a tour - it can automatically call the artist or text them about soundcheck, run of show, etc.

Or use AI to gather information - for example, if a creator wants to purchase a new camera from B&H Photo but has a few questions, can an AI agent like this gather that information?

I recently rented a car from Hertz for a weekend trip upstate and found a discrepancy in how much they charged me - they charged me for 3 days instead of 2. After going to their office and being asked to call their management instead, I’ve yet to do it after a full 7 days. I’m actually dreading it.

I know I’m going to have to wait on the phone and when they finally do pickup, it’s going to be a hassle.

What happens when these tools can take care of that for you to some degree?

It’s a lot to think about and digest but it could literally change how humans behave.

All I know is I’m curious to see what the receptionist at my doctor’s office says about that phone call when I see them next.

Thanks for reading, until next time.

_{The Vault}

1) The Artist Marketing Playbook - I teamed up with my good friend and fellow music marketing expert Drew De Leon to present The Artist Marketing Playbook. An in-depth look at what an artist can do to set themselves up for success in 2025. More info HERE.