Pioneering Private AI: A Conversation with Colin Constable, CTO at AtSign

Jun 10, 2025

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In the AI Risk Reward podcast, our host, Alec Crawford (@alec06830), Founder and CEO of Artificial Intelligence Risk, Inc. aicrisk.com interviews guests about balancing the risk and reward of Artificial Intelligence for you, your business, and society as a whole. Podcast production and sound engineering by Troutman Street Audio. You can find them on LinkedIn and at troutmanstreetaudio.com. You can hear the difference.

Colin Constable, co-founder and CTO at AtSign, has an extensive background in telecommunications, beginning with his apprenticeship at British Telecom. Colin discussed his career journey and how his mentor, Les Box, influenced his path, leading to significant roles at Credit Suisse and founding AtSign. He explained AtSign's origins, stemming from a debate on the internet's inefficiencies in data control, aiming to allow services to log into users rather than vice versa. Colin expressed excitement about the agentic movement in AI and the convergence of AI and IoT, predicting advancements in self-driving technology and private AI instances. He also shared advice on fostering healthy disagreement, strategic insights for CEOs integrating AI, and the importance of execution in Silicon Valley's innovation culture.

Summary:

Guest Background: Colin Constable is the co-founder and CTO at AtSign, with a rich background in telecommunications and network architecture, beginning with his apprenticeship at British Telecom.
Early Career Influences: Colin shared his early career experiences at British Telecom and the pivotal role of his mentor, Les Box, in shaping his career path, which eventually led him to Credit Suisse and later founding AtSign.
Founding AtSign: He discussed the origins of AtSign, which stemmed from an argument about the inefficiencies of the internet regarding data control and identity management. He detailed how AtSign aims to change the paradigm by allowing services to log into users rather than users logging into services.
Emerging Technologies: Colin expressed excitement about the agentic movement in AI, particularly the intersection of AI and IoT, predicting impactful advancements in self-driving technology and private AI instances.
Advice and Insights: He emphasized the importance of healthy disagreement for learning and growth, strategic insights for CEOs integrating AI, and the impact of execution in Silicon Valley's innovation culture.

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