The Rise of AI Companions: Loneliness in the Digital Age
Going from tech-curious to tech-literate can be simple if you have access to the right resources. Here are some recent highlights to keep you informed:
Welcome to the new subscribers who have joined us since the last newsletter! Here are some recent highlights to keep you informed:
AI companionship is on the rise. This new AI wearable necklace aims to be your friend.
Developed by Avi Schiffmann, The Friend is an AI chatbot pendant designed to offer companionship.
Equipped with a microphone, it listens to the user’s surroundings, answers contextual questions and provides spontaneous commentary on ongoing conversations. It’s powered by Anthropic AI’s Claude 3.5 large language model.
The Friend is available for preorder at Friend.com and will start shipping in January 2025. Each device costs $99 and there is no subscription fee.
Over the last few years, several startups have launched AI companionship tools, such as the Humane AI Pin and Rabbit R1. However, Schiffmann argues that The Friend is uniquely focused on companionship, not task automation. It aims to develop a personality that complements the user.
While this product might not succeed, it's worth considering the growing trend of AI companionship. Amid the loneliness epidemic, AI companion tools are increasingly being adopted.
According to The New York Times, people are using AI companions to improve social skills, explore new interests and discuss their problems without fear of judgment. A 2023 Stanford study found that some users of AI companions reported reduced anxiety and increased feelings of social support.
There are also risks to consider:
AI companions foster deeply intimate interactions, encouraging users to share their innermost thoughts. This raises significant privacy concerns, as it's uncertain where and how this sensitive information will be stored and used.
Dependency on AI companions is another major issue. Although companies like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic have developed advanced technology capable of creating lifelike AI friends, they continue to emphasise that we shouldn’t anthropomorphise and depend on these tools.
What do you think?
That’s the way the cookie fumbles. Google has abandoned its plan to scrap third-party cookies.
In 2020, Google announced that it planned to phase out third-party cookies for privacy reasons. Despite targeting early 2022 for this launch, Google was unable to find an alternative solution that worked for users, publishers and advertisers. Last week, they decided to halt their plan to depreciate third-party cookies. Here’s what you need to know:
What are third-party cookies?
Third-party cookies are small data files that track users’ online activities for targeted advertising. They are one of the most pervasive tracking technologies, enabling advertisers to collect and sell user information, often without consent. While browsers like Firefox and Safari have blocked them for privacy reasons, Google has been slower to act, aiming to balance privacy with advertisers' needs.
Google, which commands more than 90% of the search market, initially aimed to phase out these cookies by early 2022. However, as the ad industry struggled to adapt, Google extended its timeline multiple times and last week decided to retain third-party cookies.
What does this mean for you?
The main impact is that the internet will remain free. Without third-party cookies, website owners struggled to monetise their audiences which has led to more gated or paywalled content.
Cookies also make web browsing more convenient by displaying ads tailored to users' interests. Third-party cookies are crucial for digital advertising, enabling advertisers to collect user data for targeted ads. Around 40.9% of websites globally use cookies for this purpose, according to an article by CNBC.
Despite the push for greater online privacy, Google aims to introduce a feature allowing Chrome users to make more informed privacy choices across their browsing. It’s likely that Google will keep third-party cookies by default and offer a Privacy Sandbox-powered privacy mode as an alternative.
What do you think?
Watch out Nike. Robot-powered “spray on” sneakers are here.
Swiss sportswear brand On is disrupting the footwear market, by embracing advanced “spray-on” materials with a revolutionary robot-made sneaker it believes can improve performance at this month’s Olympics.
The Cloudboom Strike LS is a spray-on running shoe. With no heel-cap, laces, and weighing less than an iPhone, the translucent, sock-like sneaker looks like a running shoe that has shed its skin.
It’s designed to be more adaptable, dynamic and supportive than your average running sneakers and costs $330.
Unlike regular footwear manufacturing, the entire LightSpray manufacturing process takes three minutes (a normal shoe takes days or even weeks to manufacture).
It’s made using LightSpray technology, whereby an automated robotic arm sprays an ultralight one-piece shoe upper in a single step, made from a recyclable thermoplastic.
Champion distance runner, Hellen Obiri, will wear a pair to compete in the Olympics marathon.
Why?
According to On, the shoe’s are made from a type of thermoplastic.
The company claims its technology reduces the carbon emissions of producing a shoe’s upper by 75%, compared to its other sneaker models.
According to On’s Co-CEO, the material has the potential to move us towards a more sustainable, circular future.
The Cloudboom Strike sneakers will be available for purchase later this year! Would you grab a pair?
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