"AI is an incredible tool that can empower people to further their knowledge. It’s important that users adopt AI as such, and don’t view it as a replacement for their own minds or efforts. In doing so, we risk losing critical thinking skills and the creativity that allows us to be innovative."
As a part of our series about the future of Artificial Intelligence, I had the pleasure of interviewing Tommy Barav.
Tommy Barav is the CEO and Founder of timeOS, the first-ever time aware AI technology. In 2020, Tommy founded the company with the mission to empower teams with a smarter time workflow that augments their workflows, revolutionizing employee communication, meetings, and decision making. With 10+ years of industry experience, Tommy previously worked as the Founder of Supertools (one of the largest communities in the productivity space with more than 50,000 members, specifically centered around “digital superpowers for time”), served as a Founding Member and Director of Marketing at Argus Cyber Security; and he attended Reichman University (IDC Herzliya).
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you share with us the ‘backstory” of how you decided to pursue this career path in AI?
In my last role, I was a Productivity Coach — a Chief of Time, if you will — and I noticed how much time was being wasted in the workday. While time is the most valuable resource, there weren’t any tools to help knowledge workers really understand and maximize their time. I knew things had to change, so I said what if we built an operating system that will get involved with your calendar and guide users through their days — thus timeOS was born.
Specifically, timeOS uses AI and automation to deliver teams with a smarter time workflow by accelerating scheduling, note taking and agenda creation.
What lessons can others learn from your story?
I want others to learn the power that deep work can bring you. When our focus is disrupted, even for a few seconds, our brain requires additional time and energy to regain full concentration. This is known as the switching cost and it can significantly impact productivity. In fact, according to a study by the American Psychological Association, context switching can cause a 40% drop in our ability to be productive.
When you aren’t distracted by tedious administrative tasks is when the real magic happens.
Can you tell our readers about the most interesting projects you are working on now?
We recently announced TimeAI, an all-in-one solution for AI-powered scheduling, note taking, and agendas that transform a user’s calendar from a static tool into a conversational and ubiquitous assistant. Akin to a personalized ‘chief of staff’, TimeAI provides detailed context before, during, and after meetings to augment team decision-making, streamline workflows, and boost employee productivity.
Beyond being a note-taker, the technology uses information available in your calendar as context to inform how you should spend your time and identify tasks that AI may be able to complete for you. From there, TimeAI steps in to attend the appropriate meetings and convey critical points to team members on your behalf. The solution also directs all action items where they need to go via a robust set of integrations with the communication and task management tools that users rely on most.
What are the 5 things that most excite you about the AI industry? Why?
- With AI-powered technology, meetings with 3+ people will die — but that’s a good thing for productivity. There’s no time for meaningless touch bases that create productivity blocks and workflow disruption.
- It’s no secret that AI is bolstering the global economy, with PwC estimating that AI’s impact on the global economy could be north of $15T by 2030 — but it’s also creating new use cases to boost productivity and engagement. I think we will see “Focused Work” become a whole new category that will allow knowledge workers to uplevel the amount of productive hours in their workday.
- AI will transform time management. While I don’t believe the proverbial 4-day work week will come to fruition, I do believe that AI will create collaborative work environments that increase the amount of time we are able to spend on deeper work instead of mindless tasks.
- AI will be leveraged to make the workplace better. It has the power to solve complex problems in better, efficient ways. AI provides users with an endless infinite memory of information that can aid them to make better decisions.
- Users will become better writers. Utilizing AI, people will have easier access to knowledge than ever before — they can improve their own ideas and turn to AI to help motivate them when they need an extra push.
What are the 5 things that concern you about the AI industry? Why?
- My main concern is that AI may be passive rather than proactive. Users shouldn’t have to consider how AI can assist them; instead, AI should remain in the background, ready to offer assistance whenever needed.
- Managing your time is expensive on your time. I noticed this clearly during my time as a Productivity Coach. People need an accountability partner because they typically utilize only 5% of the features in a particular tool. At timeOS, our aim is to transform employees into a super-user without the need for extensive effort. We refer to this approach as “effortless time management.”
- The AI landscape is taking off, but as its creators we need to ensure security for the end user’s data. How do we make sure AI won ’t be the biggest fret of this century? Developing algorithms that abide by a code of ethics will be crucial — and developing guardrails to promote ethical practices even more so.
- At timeOS we are not going to use consumer’s data without consent. But I worry about companies that are not as committed to user privacy and following proper data privacy measures. Data privacy is becoming increasingly important in our digital world and in order for AI to gain widespread acceptance, users will need to trust their privacy is being protected.
- AI is an incredible tool that can empower people to further their knowledge. It’s important that users adopt AI as such, and don’t view it as a replacement for their own minds or efforts. In doing so, we risk losing critical thinking skills and the creativity that allows us to be innovative.
As you know, there is an ongoing debate between prominent scientists, (personified as a debate between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg,) about whether advanced AI poses an existential danger to humanity. What is your position about this?
To draw a parallel, let’s consider the Industrial Revolution. It brought about a massive transformation in production capabilities, much like the AI revolution is doing for information processing today. During the Industrial Revolution, for the first time, humanity had access to an abundance of goods, but it was up to us to decide how and what to consume.
Similarly, with the AI revolution, we have access to an unprecedented amount of knowledge and capabilities. However, it’s crucial to remember that just because we can, doesn’t mean we should. There’s a genuine concern that major corporations might leverage AI to hack our attention for monetization purposes. This is where companies like timeOS play a pivotal role. Our primary objective is not just to harness the power of AI but to ensure it’s used ethically and responsibly. Our algorithm is optimized to give knowledge workers more time in their day, rather than taking it away. In essence, while AI has the potential to be a double-edged sword, it’s up to us, the innovators and users, to determine its direction.
What can be done to prevent such concerns from materializing? And what can be done to assure the public that there is nothing to be concerned about?
As the AI landscape further develops, I’m concerned about companies using the technology to hack into our attention and develop `time-vampire’ algorithms — which would have a significant impact on our lives. To prevent these `time-vampire’ algorithms we can create a layer of methodology on top of our tools.
As you know, there are not that many women in your industry. Can you advise what is needed to engage more women into the AI industry?
It starts at the grassroots. Encouraging young girls to take an interest in STEM subjects is essential. Schools and communities can play a pivotal role by introducing coding and AI concepts early on, ensuring that girls have role models in the field, and providing resources that cater specifically to their interests and needs.
At timeOS we place a strong emphasis on inclusivity and diversity in the workplace. One of our proudest achievements is how our community democratizes access to AI technology and tools to everyone. It’s heartening to note that almost 50% of our community members are female. This not only showcases our commitment to engaging women but also highlights the balanced representation and active participation of women in our initiatives and projects.
What is your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share a story of how that had relevance to your own life?
Henry David Thoreau once said “It’s not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?” This quote deeply resonates with me due to my experiences in a previous startup, where I faced burnout.
There, I was constantly occupied, but I often felt directionless, like I was running in circles without a clear goal. People tend to think that employees burn out because of hard work; however, that is rarely the case. They actually burn out due to purposeless work.
Today, before engaging in any task, project, or meeting, I take a moment to reflect and ask myself two important questions: “Why should I do it?” and “Am I the right person for it?” If I can’t pinpoint a clear reason, I either skip it or let technology, like AI, handle it. This approach has brought clarity and intentionality to my work, ensuring that my efforts are meaningful and aligned with my goals.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share a story?
While I created timeOS to transform users’ quality of time and enhance productivity, a byproduct of simplifying those actions is reduced employee stress, leading to overall improved well-being. We are currently a community of 50,000+ productivity enthusiasts and continue to expand and make greater productivity and well-being accessible for everyone.
In line with our mission of promoting “quality of time,” we actively contribute our time to the community. This includes providing voluntary assistance in educating young people about Productivity AI and developing solutions for Post Trauma.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
If I could ignite a movement, it would be to shift young people from passive digital consumption to active creation. Today, many are ensnared by algorithms, losing precious moments. I’d inspire them to use technology for building, creating, and truly living, turning them from ‘digital zombies’ to ‘digital creators’, ensuring that they are raised to harness technology without diminishing the quality of their time.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Readers can connect with me on LinkedIn or follow me on Twitter.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
About The Interviewer: David Leichner is a veteran of the Israeli high-tech industry with significant experience in the areas of cyber and security, enterprise software and communications. At Cybellum, a leading provider of Product Security Lifecycle Management, David is responsible for creating and executing the marketing strategy and managing the global marketing team that forms the foundation for Cybellum’s product and market penetration. Prior to Cybellum, David was CMO at SQream and VP Sales and Marketing at endpoint protection vendor, Cynet. David is the Chairman of the Friends of Israel and Member of the Board of Trustees of the Jerusalem Technology College. He holds a BA in Information Systems Management and an MBA in International Business from the City University of New York.
This article was originally featured on Authority Magazine.
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