Building a Gen Z Art Platform without the Algorithm Trap: Devika Sarin of Soal

AI for Founders

Guest: Devika Sarin, Founder of Soal (thisissoal.com)

Topic: AI-powered art discovery, taste mapping, and community-driven curation for Millennials and Gen Z

Episode Overview

Soal is building a daily ritual for art discovery that blends human curation with behavioral science and AI. Devika shares how the app helps users learn to see, name, and evolve their taste, why early community building beats early monetization, and how contemporary artists can thrive without chasing algorithms.

What You Will Learn

• How AI recommendation engines and human curation work together for art discovery
• Practical ways to map and refine user taste using behavioral signals
• Community-first product strategy for consumer apps
• How to monetize through prints and partnerships without ads
• Why contextual education increases engagement and purchase intent

Key Takeaways

• Start with human-led curation, then scale with algorithms for relevance
• Build community and context before introducing transactions
• Treat art discovery like music discovery to create daily habit loops
• Prints create an accessible on-ramp to collecting and supporting artists
• Ethical guardrails matter for recommendation systems that shape culture

Frameworks Discussed

1) Discover → Learn → Engage → Support

• Discover: Daily set of artworks personalized to emerging taste
• Learn: Lightweight education that meets users where they are
• Engage: Conversations, context, and deeper rabbit holes
• Support: Clear paths to shows, prints, and artist patronage

2) Human First → Algorithm Next

• Phase 1: Curators define quality, tone, and standards
• Phase 2: AI scales relevance and serendipity within those guardrails

3) Community Before Monetization

• Audience building and taste education
• Trust and retention metrics
• Introduce revenue via prints and aligned partners

4) Taste Mapping Signals

• Visual preferences over time
• Session depth and dwell on context
• Revisit behavior and save lists
• Artist and genre adjacency graphs

Who This Episode Is For

Founders building consumer AI or marketplaces, product leaders designing recommendation engines, community builders, and creators exploring ethical and effective ways to scale human taste with technology.

Resources and Links

• Soal: thisissoal.com
• Join the Soal waitlist and newsletter on site

Episode Sponsors

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Also visit: aiforfounders.co and ryanestes.info