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
Speed, Ease, and Expertise With AI: Lenovo’s Linda Yao [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:59
Linda Yao, chief operating officer and head of strategy for Lenovo’s Strategy, Solutions, and Services Group and vice president of hybrid cloud and AI solutions, joins us to explain the organization’s transition from tec…
Monetizing Data With AI: MIT CISR's Barb Wixom [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:31
Barbara Wixom, principal research scientist at MIT’s Center for Information Systems Research (CISR), draws on 30 years of research in this bonus episode of the Me, Myself, and AI podcast. She believes data monetization i…
Tackling Injuries With AI: The NFL's Jeff Miller [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:37
Jeff Miller moved from a career in government to focus on the health and safety of NFL players. Due to the nature of their sport, they are more prone to injuries, including concussions, than other professional athletes.…
Collective Learning With Generative AI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:52
Over the past year, we’ve seen generative AI explode. In this episode, we review insights shared with us from five prior guests — from Microsoft, GitHub, Meta, Partnership on AI, and NASA — and consider what’s changed, w…
Leveling the Playing Field With AI: Special Olympics's Mary Davis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:28
Mary Davis, CEO of Special Olympics, wants the people she represents to “have a seat at the table” as AI evolves. In this episode of the Me, Myself, and AI podcast, Davis talks about her organization’s mission along with…
Bonus Episode: Lessons From Jobs in the Age of AI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:24
On Sept. 4, 2024, Me, Myself, and AI host Sam Ransbotham moderated a panel discussion at a Georgetown University/World Bank event, Jobs in the Age of AI. Afterward, he interviewed keynote speaker Carl Benedikt Frey, Diet…
Sharing AI Mistakes: Partnership on AI’s Rebecca Finlay [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:26
Rebecca Finlay, CEO of Partnership on AI (PAI), believes that artificial intelligence poses risks — and that organizations should learn from one another and help others avoid the same hazards by disclosing the mistakes t…
The Risks of Too Much AI: Fortune’s Jeremy Kahn [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:12
Jeremy Kahn’s investigation into the risks and effects of artificial intelligence are reflected in a new book, Mastering AI: A Survival Guide to Our Superpowered Future. But he has also written extensively about the tech…