Lessons from an interview that had us on the edge of our seat

There has been a lot of talk about AI this week.

Around 100 world leaders, tech bosses, academics and AI researchers gathered at Bletchley Park to discuss how to make best use of the technology while minimising its risks.

The UK's AI Safety Summit saw tech companies represented by the likes of Google’s AI unit Google DeepMind, the ChatGPT developer OpenAI, and Meta.

And one of the key players, Alex Karp, the CEO of Palantir Technologies, gave a high-profile TV interview. So, how did he get on?

We work with a lot of companies in the tech industry. And one of the main challenges our media training helps them overcome is being able to discuss their technology with clarity and in a way that is understandable and meaningful for a general audience.

While you can afford to be more technical in an interview with a publication like TechCrunch or Wired, messages need simplifying to resonate with a broader audience – like those watching the BBC.

It means stripping out the complex language and technical jargon.

And using relatable stories and examples.

And Mr Karp did this well in this interview, which you can watch here from 31:04. There was little sign of technical language, and he attempted to use everyday examples.

“When you go to the doctor now, you have a pile of paper,” he said at one point, which sounded like the start of a relatable example.

Unfortunately, he was interrupted by the journalist (more on this later), so we can’t be sure how that would have developed.

But he did subsequently discuss patients not “having to fill out paperwork 15 times and watch it get lost” when they go to the doctors.

 

Sensitive issues

Spokespeople from any industry will find themselves needing to address sensitive issues.

And in the tech industry, there are particular concerns around the rise of AI and the data it needs.

Mr Karp may have thought he was appearing on the BBC to discuss the summit.

But the start of the interview focused on his company trying to win a contract to provide AI software to bring NHS data together to improve services.

There is a lot of fear surrounding AI. And people love the NHS. So, this part of the interview ticked that sensitivity box.

And the tech boss struck a reassuring tone.

"We're the only company of our size and scale that doesn't buy your data, doesn't sell your data, doesn't transfer it to any other company," he said.

"That data belongs to the government of the United Kingdom."

He later added: “The way our product is set up, I don't have access to your data. Our product does not allow you to do that."

"The way our product is set up, I don't have access to your data"

Palantir CEO Alex Karp says that his data analytics company "wouldn't be able to" sell NHS patient data on to third parties, and he believes people will opt in to data sharing#BBCLauraK https://t.co/xG2X7gncFo pic.twitter.com/Xdd85tR3iQ

— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) October 29, 2023

The interview also addressed “pandemic opportunism” and criticism of his company for gaining a foothold in the UK health service by charging the NHS just £1 in 2020 to develop its Covid data store.

And he again provided a solid defence.

“We go to clients all the time and say, ‘Look, we believe our product is the best – we will give it to you for free and you can test it,” he said.

He added: “I use this way of going to market because I believe most software products don’t work.

"It only puts us in an advantageous position because everybody who doesn't like it, by and large, does not believe their product works or they would do the same thing.”

Subsequent headlines suggested his defence landed well.

NHS data will be safe with Palantir, boss pledges amid £500m contract bid City AM

Sale of NHS data up to government, says tech boss BBC News

 

Vague

When the interview moved on to the safer ground of the benefits of AI, Mr Karp sounded strangely vague.

He said: “The benefits are better care at the point of need in healthcare, and every system in the United Kingdom works better. Your life expectancy goes up, your happiness goes up.”

That’s too general. What does “better care” look like?

This is where one of our favourite media training words comes into play. Use ‘imagine’ to paint a picture for the audience of what this better care could look like.

“Imagine you have an appointment with your GP. With AI…” – that sort of thing would help people to see the benefits.

 

Openness

Cultivating confidence in the technology requires transparency and openness about the risks.

And Mr Kark did not shy away from this.

Asked about the risks, he said: “The biggest risk is that the technology develops to a point where it is dangerous to us all. That is a real risk. And that is why we need Government officials to be actively looking at it, actively having a better understanding of how these things work, and being able to intervene when it looks like it is going off the rails.”

Later, when asked about the concern people often raise about AI taking jobs, he described it as a “very legitimate concern” and went on to talk about how “the technology can be the friend of the average worker.”

 

Body language

One of the things that stood out about the interview was Mr Karp’s body language.

Perching on the edge of his seat made it look like he might get up and leave at any moment. Or that he had somewhere he needed to rush to afterwards.

And, combined with his remarkably straight posture, it made him appear huge sitting next to presenter Victoria Derbyshire.

Anyone else watching Palantir CEO, Alex Karp, on @bbclaurak leaning forward, aggressive stance, arrogantly trying to school and intimidate Victoria Derbyshire? It’s not working by the way. No time for these tech bros playing god with our data

— Shaun Gomm (@shaun_gomm) October 29, 2023

The BBC acronym we use during our media training (which stands for Bum in Back of Chair) would have helped him appear a little more comfortable and less domineering - important for winning the trust of viewers and not appearing like an AI overlord.

There were also a lot of distracting arm and hand movements. Now, we know gesture is a vital part of communication, and we would never tell someone to sit on their hands – we want spokespeople to appear natural on TV cameras.

But when hands and arms keep rising and flailing above shoulder level and cover the spokesperson’s face, gesture becomes a distraction.

The other part about body language or appearance is Mr Karp’s hair. As a bald man, I’m a little uncomfortable criticising someone’s hair – I’m jealous of all hair. But the tech boss has a distinctive style.

It is a sort of mop with bits pointing upwards, and it gives off eccentric scientist or Doc Brown from Back to the Future vibes.

For a BBC interview, where the audience is likely to be sceptical and even afraid of the rise of AI, you could question whether it may have been more reassuring if he tried to tame his hair a little.

 

Interruptions

I mentioned earlier how Mr Karp had been interrupted during one of his answers.

And there were many other interruptions.

I wish I could actually hear Alex Karp’s answers, Victoria Derbyshire. He’s someone we have to hear from. Just when he was getting interesting, she waded in with something off topic. V frustrating. @VictoriaLIVE

— Alice Lankester (@AliceLankester) October 29, 2023

Interruptions are a regular feature of media interviews. And they can result in a spokesperson losing their train of thought, their composure and the support of the audience.

It is one of the reasons why our current working journalist tutors interrupt delegates during their interviews on our media training courses.

Mr Karp remained calm and didn’t attempt to raise his voice to speak over the presenter.

Could he have done anything else?

Well, the interruptions did cause him to break off in the middle of some answers. And he could have tried to get back to them.

So, spokespeople in this situation can wait for the reporter to finish their interruption and then say something like, ‘Just let me finish what I was saying because it’s an important point’.

 

Overall, it was a mixed media interview performance, including both promise and perils – just like AI.