Transforming Transactions With Technology: eBay’s Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov

Transforming Transactions With Technology: eBay’s Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov

Author: MIT Sloan Management Review May 17, 2022 Duration: 27:14
eBay is familiar as an e-commerce site that facilitates transactions between buyers and sellers. But as eBay’s first chief AI officer, Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov is focused on the role artificial intelligence technology can play in enhancing the user experience for everyone who engages with the platform. In this episode, Nitzan shares examples of the AI tools eBay is building, such as a 3D visualization tool for sellers create their own models, and intent detection tools to enhance customer service. He also discusses his academic background in biology and neuroscience, his purposeful progression from health care to financial services to online travel and finally to e-commerce, and the challenges of scaling up AI capabilities organizationwide to drive transformational value. Read the episode transcript here. Me, Myself, and AI is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group and is hosted by Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh. Our engineer is David Lishansky, and the coordinating producers are Allison Ryder and Sophie Rüdinger. Stay in touch with us by joining our LinkedIn group, AI for Leaders at mitsmr.com/AIforLeaders or by following Me, Myself, and AI on LinkedIn. Guest bio: Nitzan Mekel-Bobrov is chief AI officer at eBay. He leads the company’s vision and strategy for transforming how it delivers value to sellers and buyers around the globe through AI-led experiences, such as semantic recommenders, reasoning systems, visual understanding, and immersive visual experiences. Mekel-Bobrov has led the AI organizations at some of the largest brands in health care, financial services, and e-commerce, spanning AI science, engineering, and product development. He holds a doctorate in computational genomics and a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Chicago. We encourage you to rate and review our show. Your comments may be used in Me, Myself, and AI materials. We want to know how you feel about Me, Myself, and AI. Please take a short, two-question survey.  

Ever wondered how some organizations manage to turn artificial intelligence from a buzzword into a genuine engine for growth, while others struggle to move beyond the pilot phase? Me, Myself, and AI, a production from MIT Sloan Management Review, goes straight to the source to find out. Instead of theoretical discussions, this podcast features candid conversations with the people who are actually building and implementing AI systems at scale. You'll hear directly from leaders at prominent companies like YouTube, Cisco, and Hugging Face as they recount their journeys-not just the polished successes, but the real-world challenges, strategic decisions, and sometimes surprising lessons learned along the way. Each episode digs into the practicalities of creating measurable business value, cutting through the noise to reveal what effective AI leadership and integration truly look like. It’s a focused exploration for anyone in technology, business, or education who wants to understand the human and operational stories behind the algorithms. Tune in for an unvarnished look at the future being built, one practical application at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Me, Myself, and AI
Podcast Episodes
Industrial AI for the Physical World: Siemens’s Peter Koerte [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:21
In this episode, Sam talks with Peter Koerte, member of the managing board and chief strategy and technology officer of Siemens, about how industrial AI is quietly transforming the infrastructure that powers everyday lif…
Disintegrating the Org Chart: ServiceNow’s Jacqui Canney [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:34
In this episode, Sam is joined by Jacqui Canney, chief people and AI enablement officer at ServiceNow. Jacqui outlines how the software company has embedded AI agents into processes like employee onboarding to automate t…
An Industry Benchmark for Data Fairness: Sony’s Alice Xiang [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:06
On today’s episode, Sam talks with Alice Xiang, global head of AI governance at Sony and lead research scientist for AI ethics at Sony AI, about what it actually takes to put responsible artificial intelligence into prac…
AI Is Not Improving Productivity: Nobel Laureate Daron Acemoglu [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:59
In this bonus episode, Nobel Prize-winning economist Daron Acemoglu joins Sam to challenge some of the most common assumptions about artificial intelligence’s future. Drawing on his book Power and Progress, Daron argues…
Hungry for Learning: Wendy’s Will Croushorn [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:34
On today’s episode, Wendy’s product manager Will Croushorn joins Sam to share how FreshAi, the fast-food restaurant’s voice-based AI ordering system, is reinventing the drive-through experience for millions of customers.…
Science, Innovation, and Economic Growth: OpenAI’s Ronnie Chatterji [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:24
On this episode, OpenAI’s chief economist Ronnie Chatterji describes how artificial intelligence is reshaping both the economy and scientific innovation. Ronnie discusses the dual economic impacts of AI — the near-term b…
Creating More, Not Less, With AI: GeekWire’s Todd Bishop [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:40
AI isn’t taking jobs — it’s changing what jobs are. On today’s episode, GeekWire’s Todd Bishop joins host Sam Ransbotham to dive into how artificial intelligence is reshaping work, learning, and creativity — not by repla…
From Rabbit Holes to Recommendations: Reddit’s Vishal Gupta [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:09
Vishal Gupta, engineering manager, machine learning at Reddit, joins the podcast to explain how the social media community platform uses artificial intelligence to improve user experience and ad relevance. Much of the ad…