Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to a16z - Talking Humans and Machines with NYT’s John Markoff

Our changing relationship with technology and machines

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. a16z - Talking Humans and Machines with NYT’s John Markoff launched in 2016; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   Dash Radio ▲95

   A curator-led digital broadcasting MCN, redefining radio

   2015 · dashradio.com · its alternatives →

2. 2
   Radiotopia▲112

   A podcasting revolution: remaking public radio

   2014 · radiotopia.fm · its alternatives →

3. 3
   Inside Podcasting▲126

   Curating the resurgence of the spoken word

   2017 · inside.com · its alternatives →

4. 4
   Chatbots▲102

   Conversational UI and the future of online interaction

   2016 · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Sirius▲111

   An open-source clone of Siri from UMICH

   2015 · its alternatives →

6. 6
   Designing Conversational Interfaces▲86

   An introduction to creating compelling chat applications

   2016 · its alternatives →

7. 7
   Roger▲102

   The new way to exchange information with the people you meet

   2014 · meetroger.com · its alternatives →

8. 8
   Gum▲123

   The social network of things

   2015 · its alternatives →

9. 9
   Cadence & Slang▲76

   "A must read for anyone that designs interfaces for humans"

   2014 · cadence.cc · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Alice by Couple▲57

    An AI companion from the folks who built Couple

    2014 · couple.me · its alternatives →

11. 11
    What are conversational bots?▲102

    An introduction to and overview of AI-driven chatbots

    2016 · oreilly.com · its alternatives →

12. 12
    The Sociable▲93

    Documenting how technology transforms societies

    2017 · sociable.co · its alternatives →

13. 13
    Penflip▲119

    A social writing platform

    2013 · its alternatives →

14. 14
    Intelligence Squared▲74

    A podcast of Oxford-style debates on complex topics

    2015 · intelligencesquaredus.org · its alternatives →

15. 15
    Awkward Chatbot▲83

    machine learning is making like huge strides lol

    2015 · its alternatives →

16. 16
    30/30▲76

    An Interesting Approach to Time & Task Mgmt

    2014 · apps.apple.com · its alternatives →

17. 17
    Spoken Layer▲64

    Mobile Engagement through the Power of the Human Voice

    2014 · spokenlayer.com · its alternatives →

18. 18
    Rhombus▲86

    Conversational Commerce as a Service

    2015 · its alternatives →

19. 19
    Tung▲96

    A social podcast player

    2016 · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Business Sidekick #16 "Business and technology - how it's changing the world we're living in"▲67

    "We build faster computers to build faster computers."

    2016 · livechat.com · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Chatous▲99

    Meet new people and talk about what matters to you.

    2014 · chatous.com · its alternatives →

22. 22
    Microcosm▲72

    A modern forum platform

    2014 · its alternatives →

23. 23
    Diversity in Tech — The Digital Life Podcast 181▲54

    Discussing diversity and tech culture

    2016 · thedigitalife.com · its alternatives →

24. 24
    Innoz▲88

    Connecting the unconnected

    2014 · offlineinternet.org · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →