Slalom Labs Brings Crystal’s Personality Data to Life

At the intersection of emerging technology and human experience, Slalom Element Labs is pioneering bold, experimental solutions to some of today’s most intriguing challenges. 

‍

From robotics to AR, the lab’s work pushes boundaries—but one of their most compelling innovations uses Crystal Knows’ Personality Data API to power immersive, emotionally intelligent experiences.

‍

We sat down with John Tomik, Managing Director of Slalom Strategy and the Slalom Element Lab, to learn how his team is blending AR, digital humans, and personality insights to reshape how people interact—with machines and each other.

Using Technology to Deepen Human Connection

Slalom Element Labs operates with a mission to “dream bigger, move faster, and build better tomorrows for all.” As their team began experimenting with large language models—well before ChatGPT went mainstream—they noticed a pattern:

‍

“The outputs that were coming out of these models really depended on the inputs—the personality and traits of the user."

‍

This sparked a shift in their thinking. If personality shapes how people interact with technology, could it also shape how they interact with each other?

‍

During the pandemic, people grew accustomed to digital context in remote meetings—names, roles, even personality cues surfaced through chat and platforms. But when in-person conversations returned, that context vanished. Slalom wanted to find a way to bring it back—this time, in a more immersive, human-first format.

From Static Personality Data to Live, Adaptive Environments

Slalom used Crystal’s DISC personality data in two innovative ways—each rooted in the same insight: that understanding personality leads to better, more human connection. One helps people understand each other better; the other, helps technology better understand people.

Helping People Understand Each Other

To address the loss of interpersonal context in a post-Zoom world, Slalom created an augmented reality experience using Magic Leap headsets and Crystal’s DISC data.

‍

Through Crystal’s API, users could see personality insights—like communication style and behavioral tendencies—overlaid next to the person they were speaking with. These subtle cues helped people connect more quickly and meaningfully during live, face-to-face interactions.

“You’d look at someone and see Crystal data about their DISC type layered into the real world."

‍

The experience debuted at the Fast Company Innovation Festival, where—instead of awkward small talk—50 strangers connected with ease, guided by live personality insights layered into their real-time interactions.

“It was magical, you had people who’d never met having incredibly intimate conversations just because they could understand a bit more about each other.”

Helping Technology Understand People

While the AR experience helped people better understand each other, Slalom also explored how technology could better respond to individual users.

‍

Their team began prototyping digital humans—AI-powered avatars that adapt their tone, pacing, and responses based on a person’s personality profile. The goal: build emotionally intelligent systems that personalize not just the content of a message, but how it’s delivered.

‍

To make these interactions even more adaptive, Slalom is layering in AWS Rekognition to detect real-time sentiment—like smiles or discomfort—so that avatars can respond to both personality traits and emotional signals.

‍

“Think of an avatar that can express themselves in a way that’s deeply personalized to the person interacting with it.”

Though still in prototype form, this approach points to a future where AI systems can respond more naturally to who you are—and how you're feeling.

‍

Live Personality Insight, Human-Centered Impact

The lab experience made one thing clear: real-time personality insight changes how people communicate. By using Crystal’s data in a live, immersive format, Slalom helped users see how technology can support empathy—not replace it.

‍

“Just putting it in people’s hands opened up new conversations—people started imagining what this could look like in their world.”

‍

The activation sparked new thinking across industries. Attendees envisioned how personality data could enhance conversations in healthcare, education, and customer service. Internally, Slalom’s team saw how the same data could make AI systems more adaptive, emotionally aware, and human-friendly.

‍

For Slalom, the experience validated a powerful idea: when people are given meaningful context at the right moment—whether from a person or a machine—technology becomes a bridge, not a barrier, to connection.

‍

" Having personality and insights around the person that you're speaking to is a superpower that I think we're all gonna take for granted sometime in the future."