Andy Volk

Founder of Andy[x], an independent research studio

Andy Volk

Open technology, in service of human connection and creativity.

For more than twenty-five years I've built open technology that gives people a voice and connects them: from Live365, which let anyone broadcast to the world, to co-authoring Media RSS, to a decade growing developer ecosystems at Google. Now, through Andy[x], the work is keeping AI open and in service of people: their connection, their creativity, and their ability to think for themselves.

Now: Celebrating the launch of downtempo.org, a new hub for the downtempo and lo-fi music that I love.

On the workbench

Andy[x]
An independent research studio exploring open technology, creative systems, and human connection.
downtempo.org
A curated map of downtempo music: its subgenres, labels, and new releases. An open labor of love from Andy[x].

Recent writing

Stages of data gathering for AI training: From the Big Scrape through the Big Capture Jan 2026 · Andy[x]
In Defense of Stoicism and Single-Purpose Devices Oct 2025 · Andy[x]
Learning to See: Using An Artist's Eye to Identify Emerging Technology Trends and Their Implications Sep 2025 · Andy[x]
All writing →