As part of its bevy of CES 2020 devices, it looks like Samsung decided to explore both sides of the uncanny valley. Whether we like it or not, the future will be full of artificial assistants. So it’s nice of Samsung to at least give us a choice between creepy human AI chatbots and cute robot ball helpers.
Flying to CES tomorrow, and the code is finally working :) Ready to demo CORE R3. It can now autonomously create new expressions, new movements, new dialog (even in Hindi), completely different from the original captured data. pic.twitter.com/EPAJJrLyjd
— Pranav Mistry (@pranavmistry) January 5, 2020
Let’s get the creepy part over with. Going into CES Samsung built up a lot of buzz for its mysterious “Neon” project. And it turns out the Star Labs initiative is all about developing AI chatbots that are disturbingly accurate artificial human beings.
Siri and Alexa are meant to be convenient, voice-based assistants, but Neon has the much more vague and sinister purpose of being “a friend.” While Neon’s computer-generated people are based off of previously captured information, these incredibly likelife virtual avatars grow and evolve over time. They’re aren’t information databases. They gain new expressions and emotions and language like we do. And the Core R3 tech lets us interact them with such little latency that it does feel like talking to a person. Cool?
Maybe the obvious uncomfortable nature of Neon is really just a smokescreen, moving the Overton Window just enough so that we accept Samsung’s actual tool for robot domination: Ballie. Instead of a fake computer person with feelings and clothes and skin, Ballie is just a little ball robot that rolls around your house.
Like a Roomba without the vacuum, or that dead Anki Vector robot, Ballie is just a nice little yellow orb. Specifically, it’s an Internet of Things concept device designed for various helpful tasks. Ballie can “record special moments” in your home, act as a fitness assistant, interface with other smart devices like a TV, and recognize your face to follow you around. Here’s hoping it hasn’t seen The Prisoner.
So when it comes to Samsung’s imitations of life, it’s nice to have options.
More on Geek.com:
- CES 2020: Samsung SelfieType Is an Invisible Mobile Keyboard
- Samsung Showcases Infinity TVs, Rotating TVs, Extremely Curved Gaming Monitors at CES 2020
- Lexilife Demonstrates Dyslexia Reading Lamp at CES 2020
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