Building Predictable Conversational AI: Design, Engineering & Control | With Yam Marcovitz

Building Predictable Conversational AI: Bridging Design, Engineering & Control at ScaleIn this episode of the CDI Expert Series: Unprompted, we sit down with Yam Marcovitz, former software architect at Microsoft and Apex.AI, and co-founder of the open-source AI framework Parlant. With a background in real-time systems and enterprise software, Yam brings a systems-level perspective to one of AI's biggest challenges: getting LLMs to consistently do what you want.The conversation explores the gap between design and engineering in conversational AI, why current tools fall short, and how open source plays a crucial role in responsible AI development. Yam shares practical insights on building agent behavior that's not just intelligent but reliable and predictable at scale.The episode also explores:How team collaboration and clear communication impact AI behavior as much as the technology itselfThe limitations of current conversation design toolsSeparating design and engineering workflows to improve efficiency and clarityCreating flexible agents without sacrificing controlMoving beyond "prompt and pray" to systematic testing and validationManaging updates/fixing issues without retraining models from scratchDesigning for multilingual, multichannel interactionsHow linguistic precision directly impacts agent performanceWhy open source and transparency are key to building responsible, scalable AI systemsThroughout the episode, Yam offers a practical, behind-the-scenes look at how robust AI systems are actually built; balancing flexibility with control, and creativity with structure. So, after reflecting on this episode: how can you build AI systems that are not just intelligent, but truly reliable, testable, and scalable?Contact UsThanks for tuning in to Unprompted, for more practical lessons, and behind-the-scenes stories, exclusive events, and candid insights, visit our website or follow us on your favorite social platform.Follow us on social media:X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/CDInstitute_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Conversation_Design_Institute/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ConversationDesignInstitute/ Find out more:Website: https://www.conversationdesigninstitute.comConnect with us:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/conversation-design-instituteYam Marcovitz,https://il.linkedin.com/in/yam-marcovicCEO, Parlant.io