Tragic AI bot

October 24, 2024

💔 Tragic AI bot: While using the roleplaying app Character AI, a 14-year-old boy in Florida had a romantic “relationship” with a bot and confessed his suicidal thoughts. One day, the bot responded, “Please come home to me.” The boy ultimately took his own life. His mother filed a lawsuit against the makers of the chatbot for his death. I know this sounds way out there, but talk to your kids about AI, love and their lives.

Tags: AI (artificial intelligence), Character AI, chatbots, Florida, kids, lawsuits

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Tech ahead: AI coming for our cars

Remember “Knight Rider?” The ’80s TV show centered around a detective whose sidekick was a talking car called KITT. This futuristic sassy AI on wheels could maneuver over obstacles, drive itself at high speeds and detect a bad guy’s presence from miles away.

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LaserWeeder: AI-powered robotic weed control

🚜 Agricultural revamp: Carbon Robotics just raised $70 million for AI-powered robots that help farmers blast weeds with lasers. The LaserWeeder attaches to a tractor and uses AI to detect and zap weeds without disturbing the soil microbiology. Bonus? It could reduce the need for harmful herbicides. No word on the cost yet, but the video sure looks cool.

31 cats

Took part in a word association test. And guess what? The felines linked words to images twice as quickly as human babies did. Maybe cats are judging us after all.

$180,000

What Sotheby’s hopes to fetch at auction for the first-ever artwork made by a humanoid robot. The piece, called “AI God,” is a portrait of Alan Turing, a key figure in the history of computer science and AI. Pretty fitting, right?

$299

For a toilet camera that will monitor your gut health by photographing your poop. Yep, you read that correctly. Throne uses AI to analyze your stool’s size, shape and structure, and it sends the data to an app on your phone, where you can view the results. Talk about logging your logs!

14% reduction

In heart attack and stroke risk. That’s what Type 2 diabetes pill Rybelsus delivered in trials. This is great news, since one in three adults with Type 2 diabetes also deals with cardiovascular disease. Talk about a win-win for your heart and your blood sugar.

3,000-plus parts

Make up the new walking, talking Buzz Lightyear robot. For a whopping $599, you can recreate the “Toy Story” franchise’s scenes and missions. That’s a lot of money for a toy the kiddos will use for a week and never look at again. I know what you’re thinking: “My bathroom scale is nicknamed Buzz Lightyear. When I step on, it goes to infinity and beyond.”

5 hours a week

Minimum time spent gaming to make your brain perform like it’s 13.7 years younger. A study found people who played video games regularly had better cognitive abilities, like memory and problem-solving. Here’s your great excuse to pick up an Xbox or PS5 console.

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Prada-designed Axiom Space spacesuit — Axiom Space

The luxury brand Prada worked with Axiom Space to keep astronauts stylin’ on the upcoming Artemis III mission. There’s a ton of tech included in these suits, from cameras and biometric sensors to regenerable CO2 scrubbing. Details here.

81 years old

The age of a Georgia woman who recently voted for the very first time with the help of her niece. Her husband said she didn’t need to vote … or even learn to read or write. Now that he’s passed away, she’s doing things she’s never done before. Good for you, Betty!