
AWS for Software Companies Podcast Ep174: How Voice AI Is Transforming Industries with Deepgram
Nov 20, 2025
36:54
CEO Scott Stephenson explains how Deepgram's voice AI technology powers everything from pharmacies to drive-thru ordering and why, after so many years, Voice AI is now ready for prime time.
Topics Include:
- Scott Stephenson introduces Deepgram as an audio AI company building speech products
- Major brands like CVS and Anthropic use Deepgram to power voice agents
- CVS handles prescription status calls where 25-40% ask if prescriptions are ready
- Voice technology now accurately understands diverse accents and speech patterns from callers
- Automated systems free pharmacists to focus on their actual jobs instead
- Jack in the Box uses Deepgram for drive-thru ordering with natural conversations
- Previous McDonald's and Wendy's failures happened because the technology wasn't ready yet
- Voice AI can handle any task with text input like CRM notes
- Healthcare companies adopted voice AI faster than expected despite compliance hurdles
- Staffing shortages drove hospitals to push through HIPAA and regulatory red tape
- First misconception: AI will never match human performance in customer interactions
- Second misconception: one product should solve all voice-related business problems
- Companies must strategically decide what to build, partner on, or buy
- Deepgram's research team controls speech speed and outputs conversational data like timestamps
- Adoption will feel slow initially but suddenly be everywhere within three years
Participants:
- Scott Stephenson – Co-Founder & CEO, Deepgram
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