In this episode of The Personal Side of Business, I sit down with Dr. Mohammad Mahoor, professor, researcher, and founder behind Ryan, an AI-powered assistive robot designed to support caregivers and improve quality of life.
Mohammad shares his journey from electrical engineering and early work in computer vision and facial recognition to studying human behavior and ultimately developing assistive robotics.
We talk about what it takes to turn years of research into a real business, the challenges of fundraising and building a team, and why resilience and the willingness to pivot have been critical throughout his 12-year startup journey.
We also dive into Ryan—an assistive robot capable of natural conversation, recognizing facial expressions and emotions, providing companionship, exercise and entertainment, and supporting caregivers in assisted-living environments.
But the conversation goes deeper: How human should AI become? Where is the ethical line between creating technology that understands us and creating machines that imitate us too closely? Mohammad shares his perspective on the “uncanny valley,” human dignity, and why AI and robotics should empower people—not replace them.
It’s a conversation about AI, robotics, entrepreneurship, resilience, and keeping humanity at the center of technological innovation.
Learn more about Mohammad Mahoor and his work at dreamfacetech.com (https://dreamfacetech.com/) .
If you would like to learn more about Jet Bunditwong and this podcast, check out personalsideofbusiness.com (https://personalsideofbusiness.com/)