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Startup will brick $800 emotional support robot for kids without refunds
(arstechnica.com)
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this post was submitted on 10 Dec 2024
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I'm assuming it runs on AI and the company has to provide the backend. So yeah, if you purchase something that requires a company's infrastructure, it can certainly be bricked.
Which is why you should only buy stuff that relies on local APIs and on board processing.
99.99% of the people willing to buy an emotional support robot for their children will have no idea what the words you said even mean.
I'm confused how a robot even CAN be emotionally supportive. I didn't even know this was a thing.
You should go watch Big Hero 6, then. You'll get a very good idea of how a robot can be supportive.
Programmed emotional support isn't new. ELIZA was written in 1966 & surprisingly effective given the crudeness of computers at the time
Yep, and that's a shame. There should be some sort of government rating or warning put on stuff like that.
Or just a straight-up ban.
Self-hosting makes more sense every day.
And this is the lesson here!
Take note folks.
Spoiler: No one writes down shit, this is the new normal
Strong alias!