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Android Creator Is Building an AI Phone That Texts People for You, Report Says (bloomberg.com)
Andy Rubin, the creator of Android operating system, is not giving up on his Essential company. The consumer electronics startup is putting most projects aside to focus on development of a new kind of phone that will try to mimic the user and automatically respond to messages on their behalf, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the plans. From the report: The company paused development of a planned home speaker, months after canceling a different smartphone that had been in the works, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the details are private. Sales of an earlier phone were disappointing, and the company is abandoning the effort partly because the product is too similar to others on the market. Essential had considered selling itself this year after a series of setbacks.
The design of the new mobile device isn't like a standard smartphone. It would have a small screen and require users to interact mainly using voice commands, in concert with Essential's artificial-intelligence software. The idea is for the product to book appointments or respond to emails and text messages on its own, according to the people familiar with the plans. Users would also be able to make phone calls from the planned device.
The design of the new mobile device isn't like a standard smartphone. It would have a small screen and require users to interact mainly using voice commands, in concert with Essential's artificial-intelligence software. The idea is for the product to book appointments or respond to emails and text messages on its own, according to the people familiar with the plans. Users would also be able to make phone calls from the planned device.
Someday Grasshopper, you will create a product that will impact millions!
Have you fscked your local propeller head today?
Why? Who would possibly want this?
If my wife gets this phone she can reply "no" to all my texts without even having to read them.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
Um, yeah, no.
Call from whoever: "do you authorize us to finalize your loan with such and such terms?"
AI phone, at my phone number, mimicking my voice perfectly: "Sure, go ahead!"
Or worse:
"Honey, did that dress I was wearing yesterday make me look fat?"
AI phone, at my phone number, mimicking my voice perfectly: "I don't have enough information to decide that."
So in otherwords it is useless in a room with other people (unless you want to hear them giving commands or them hear you giving commands) - and it runs contrary to the standard of ever larger screens because consumers like more screen space.
How am I supposed to browse the web on this at night while my partner sleeps? As an insomniac, sometimes at 3am after failing to sleep all night I tend to give up and start to surf the web until 5 when it's time to get up.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
This idea is stupid as fuck. Seems Andy peaked years ago and is struggling to stay relevant. Poor guy should have just stayed with Google where people at least would pretend he still matters.
Some apparently believe that bad ideas are better than no ideas... especially when venture capital's involved.
When the public internet was new, we all feared spam because those unsolicited commercial messages would clog up dialogue, obstructing meaning.
Since that time, humanity has worked diligently to convert that dialogue into spam by making it as standardized as possible. The new Gmail, which automatically suggests insincere boilerplate responses to messages from others, is the first step.
Once we get AI phones to mimic the most basic functions of human interaction, the whole of human communications will have become spam. Then we can rest in complete vapidity on top of a pile of money of dubious actual value, and wait for the inevitable end.
Alternative Right.
If it's anything like my experience with my Google Homes, it'll be just smart enough to keep around but dumb enough to be infuriating a significant portion of the time.
That lives my entire for me, why don't you.
Looks like you've already had your entire.
Wanna buy a shirt?
https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
What could possibly go wrong?
It appears that after the May 2018 news that there was consideration of selling the company, they decided to go ahead with the idea. This type of gimmick is begging to be gobbled up; probably by Samsung or Apple, who are always looking for a new feature to temporarily distinguish themselves from the competition.
"Why did you just send me a text message that you'd 'like to press your balls firmly against me, ya know what I mean?', Dad?"
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
I want it to perfectly mimic Marvin the Paranoid Android from the BBC H2G2.
The contents of this message have been doubly encrypted by ROT13
Why would I want my phone to respond for me and why would I want more texts that aren't from the people I want to talk to?
Automatic texts purportedly to/from me doesn't make my life better.
Mimetics Inc. Twitter
"It would have a small screen and require users to interact mainly using voice commands, in concert with Essential's artificial-intelligence software"
That's terrific. In place of folks wandering aimlessly staring at their cell phones, we can have folks wandering aimlessly staring at their cell phones and mumbling commands at them. I just can't wait.
You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
Afflict?
What we need is a phone that will read texts for people. It doesn't have to do anything else with them.
Gag me with a bar of soap.
Am I the only one who thinks these auto-reply systems are exactly as (in)capable as Dr. Sbaitso?
I can't see why anyone would want this 'functionality'. Sounds like the Essential phone is essentially in the toilet and he's just working on silly projects.
...two AI phone can go on forever talking and messaging each other until either the batteries or the phone subscription expire ?!?
It could of been windows all the way.. count your blessings :)
Have you fscked your local propeller head today?
That's the last fucking thing in the world that I want, but thanks for trying.
J