Ahmed Bouzid

Ahmed Bouzid, Ph.D. is the Founder and CEO of Witlingo, a columnist for CMSWire, an angel investor, and an advisor at the Human Language Technology (HLT) group at Georgetown University. He is also a podcaster and an advisor to OpenHome.
==Career==
In 2016, Ahmed Bouzid founded Witlingo, where he serves as CEO. The company develops products and solutions that enable brands to engage with clients using voice, audio, and conversational AI technologies. Witlingo collaborates with partners like Amazon, Genesys, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Twilio, specifically focusing on empowering senior living communities to leverage cutting-edge communication technologies and Generative AI for digital inclusion.
Witlingo's key clients include the AARP Foundation, Parker Life, Jersey City Housing Authority, Erickson Senior Living, Volunteers of America, and Springpoint.
Before founding Witlingo, Ahmed was Head of Alexa’s Smart Home Product at Amazon, where he led the launch of Alexa’s Smart Home offering for the Amazon Echo in April 2015. He now advises the advocacy group "I Am Alexa Alliance," which campaigns for Amazon to change the Alexa wake word. 
He co-founded XOWi in 2013, a SaaS/Cloud platform for mobile and wearable devices based in McLean, Virginia. Earlier in his career, Ahmed held various roles at Angel.com, including Senior Director of Product Management, leading to the company’s acquisition by Genesys. Following the acquisition, he became the VP of Product for Genesys’ SaaS offerings.
==Advisory Roles and Contributions==
Since 2021, Bouzid has been advising Georgetown University's HLT group, assisting students in linguistics and related fields in acquiring skills for careers in human language technology. He also serves as an advisor to OpenHome, a company innovating in smart speaker technology using large language models (LLMs).
In 2024, Bouzid was the campaign manager for Bentley Hensel's congressional campaign in Virginia’s 8th District. The campaign focused on integrating technological innovation and transparency into government operations.
==Publications and Media Presence==
Ahmed Bouzid is an accomplished author and public speaker. His books include:
* Generative AI For Executives: A Strategic Roadmap for Your Organization
* The Voicebot Age: Essays on Conversational AI & Digital Audio
* The Elements of Voice First Style: A Practical Guide to Voice User Interface Design
* The True Representation Model: A Primer
* NFTs for Business: A Practical Guide to Harnessing Digital Assets
* The Credo: On The Ills of Concentrated Private Power
He has also been featured on various platforms, including VUX World, VOICE Global, and The Humanity 8.0 Podcast, where he discusses major trends shaping the future of voice and conversational AI. His interview, The Voice of Tomorrow: With Dr. Ahmed Bouzid – Part 1, delves into the challenges of voice-first systems like Alexa and Siri.
Bouzid is recognized for his thought leadership in the field, holding 14 patents in speech recognition and natural language processing. He was honored as a “Speech Luminary” by Speech Technology Magazine and named one of the “Top 11 Speech Technologists” by Voicebot.ai.
==Education==
Ahmed Bouzid earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy of Science and Technology and a Master of Science in Computer Science from Virginia Tech. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from George Washington University.
==Additional Roles and Recognition==
Ahmed Bouzid is an Open Voice Network Ambassador, editor at The Social Epistemology Review and Reply Collective (SERRC), and a contributor to publications like Opus Research, CMSWire, Business 2 Community, and The Business of Enterprise AI. 
He continues to write about the intersection of technology and society, exploring topics such as the impact of generative AI on humanity and the future of advertising.
Category:Angel investors
Category:Advisors
Category:Chief executive officers
Category:American people