Latest news with #Clippy
WIRED
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- WIRED
We Bought a ‘Peeing' Robot Attack Dog From Temu. It Was Even Weirder Than Expected
For less than the cost a round of drinks, a plasticized Boston Dynamics fever dream could be yours too. Courtesy of Esat Dedezade All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. In my 15 years of reviewing tech, this pellet-firing, story-telling, pretend-urinating robot attack dog is easily the strangest thing I've ever tested. Arriving in a slightly battered box following a series of questionable decisions on Temu, I'm immediately drawn to the words 'FIRE BULLETS PET' emblazoned on the box. And there, resting behind the protective plastic window with all the innocence of a newborn lamb, lies the plastic destroyer of worlds that my four-and-a-half-year-old immediately (and inexplicably), names Clippy. Clippy is a robot dog. Of sorts. And he (my son assures me that it's a he), is clearly influenced by the remarkable, and somewhat terrifying, robotic canine creations of Boston Dynamics—a renowned company that's leading the robot revolution. Naturally, given the $50 price tag (a little less if you don't want the—ahem—spinal-mounted pellet gun), I'm not expecting Clippy to perform miracles. But, given my track record, being served an Instagram ad promising all manner of animatronic wizardry for less than the cost of a round of drinks in a London bar, the opportunity was too tempting to pass up. What happened, almost inevitably, was a lesson in not taking the social media ads you are served at face value. But, actually? It was also a lot of ridiculous fun. Robot Attack Dog: Lab Notes After freeing Clippy from his box, I'm immediately met with some of the lightest, cheapest, glossiest plastic I've ever come across. I have nothing against plastic. Remember the Nokia Lumia 920? Its polycarbonate body remains one of my favourite phone designs to this day. Sturdy, solid, and light, it was everything an object clad in plastic should be. Clippy and his accompanying remote, on the other hand, provide a somewhat Christmas cracker toy-like level of confidence in their durability. Clippy's main body, filled with the bulk of the electronics, is weighty enough, but his four spindly legs do not give the impression that they're up to the task of supporting anything. Except, of course, that I am in ownership of the turret-toting model, which promises to lay waste to enemies by bombarding them with water-absorbent pellets (more on that in a bit). Overall, the entire ensemble resembles an elongated CCTV camera on legs, with a turret resting on top—suitably menacing, and genuinely not far off Boston Dynamic's bona fide offering, in looks, at least. Courtesy of Esat Dedezade Elsewhere, I can only assume that the controller has been pumped full of helium, such is its hollow, airy lightness. Heavily inspired by the shape of an Xbox controller, I particularly love the fact that its bumper buttons and triggers are simply formed from one immobile piece of moulded plastic. There's something quite beautiful in their utter uselessness that I enjoy very much. As for the business end, it's an ADHD nightmare. Littered with a chaotic array of buttons in seemingly no logical order, I give credit to the designers for creating a controller that laughs in the face of muscle memory. Initial attempts at turning Clippy on are unsuccessful. The on/off switch does nothing, and the charging light remains dead when the USB-C cable is plugged in. There are no instructions. Opening the battery compartment reveals the culprit—the battery is disconnected. Was this to avoid it draining in transit, or to reduce the risk of spontaneous combustion? Either way, it's plugged back in. Clippy lives. And wow, he's loud. The built-in speakers are beyond shrill. I desperately look through the carnage of controller buttons, hoping to find a volume or mute option. There isn't one. Naturally, I press 'urinate' first. Clippy's hind leg raises. That, I expected. What I didn't expect, was cheerful whistling, and the sound of water tinkling into a toilet bowl. I look, and happen upon the 'handstand' button. This, I feel, will be an impressive test of his dexterity. A handstand maneuver will surely call upon multiple gyroscopes and accelerometers, combining and crunching data from numerous sensors in real time to ensure that Clippy's body remains perfectly poised in balance. I press the button, and Clippy immediately—and rather violently—faceplants. The force of this manoeuvre takes me off guard, and the impact is loud. I am worried. A moment passes, his rear legs rise, and they begin to twitch. I presume this apparent seizure is meant to represent elegant scissor kicks. It's reminiscent of how ants communicate with their antennae, a form of silent communication. 'Don't blame me bro, did you really expect anything else?' I can almost hear him plead. But, somehow, Clippy does return to his feet and appears unscathed, ready for more. Me? I'm not so sure. Multitalented As I mentioned, the controller has many, many buttons—no less than 17 functions in fact—and I'm not going to bore you with overly gratuitous descriptions for each one. Instead, here's a quick rundown of the main buttons, to give you a general idea of some of Clippy's talents: Kung fu: Absolutely zero semblance of any martial art moves, or even a cheeky backflip. Instead (and completely inexplicably), some form of poolside, Lost Frequencies-esque lounge music blasts out. Clippy 'dances.' Swimming/Dance: I recently saw Usher perform live. Both of these buttons involve vigorous floor-humping that surpass even his most sexually charged efforts. A truly impressive feat. Oh, and a side note for any optimists out there, Clippy is not waterproof. Do not, I repeat do not, introduce him to water. Push-up: Clippy blasts out push-ups while playing the guitar riff from'Eye of the Tiger.' I have no further notes. Story: Buckle up, pressing this button results in very loud, tinny classical music blaring out over a spoken story. The narrator has an Eric Cartman-like twang to their voice, and the speaker quality means I can barely make out what's being said. The only plot I manage to grasp is about an old woman and an ageing cat. The woman scolds the cat for not being able to catch mice, as it has no teeth. The cat bestows a moral about respecting our elders for the contributions they used to make in their youth. The next story, I think, involves a pigeon. It may be injured. Courtesy of Esat Dedezade Despite this clearly incredible skillset, it is interesting that Clippy's ability to be controlled or steered via the remote is … flawed. Going forward is generally fine, and there are left and right buttons which cause him to turn very slowly, often toppling over in the process. There is no reverse, so I constantly have to pick him up before he collides with walls and furniture (no collision detection cameras appear to be present). He can, at least, shake hands (or "hadn-shake" on the remote) like any well-trained pup. It would also be remiss not to mention that there is an official app which lets you control your robot dog via Bluetooth. Once you figure out how to change the language to English, it's easy enough to navigate, and there are even some bonus features they couldn't squeeze onto the remote. For example, you can select different 'foods' for him to eat, ranging from a bone to 'Nuclear Energy Source'—all of which result in various forms of eating animations. There's also a voice command mode, which doesn't seem to work. Despite offering all the permissions asked for (including, against my better judgement, access to my phone and files), voice commands seem to fall on deaf ears. There's also a program mode which lets you set up custom actions, though all my attempts seem to end up in more faceplants. Munitions Report According to the product page, Clippy's back-mounted turret 'can be loaded with water bombs to launch for fun.' The image accompanying this description is impressive. Two blue projectiles appear to blast forth from the cannon. I immediately picture an autonomous robotic guard dog patrolling the house, scanning for threats, and dispensing justice as appropriate. The reality is a tiny packet of minuscule blue balls, about a millimetre in diameter. Once soaked in water for a few hours, they plump up, and you can load them into the turret, before firing away. The test takes place in the makeshift bathtub firing range. I drop a few of the blue gel-like pellets into what is presumably the correct slot in the turret (I once again remind you of the lack of any instructions), and tell my son to stand back, in case the velocity rebounds anything towards our eyes. I look down at the controller, and finally press the 'attack' button. Clippy walks forward a few steps, crouches to steady his aim, and two pellets dribble out with all the urgency of a clogged ketchup bottle. This method is repeated about ten times, with mixed results. At best, a pellet is fired relatively straight, but still not without any meaningful force—certainly not enough to even penetrate a wet square of toilet paper. We tried. After the ammo is spent, we decide that it's time to watch him faceplant again. But should you buy this thing, as (relatively) cheap as it is? I think the answer is obvious. But while it's all too easy to slate, playing around with Clippy has taken me back to my childhood, where toys like this were life. Clippy, as terrible as he is, has entertained my son daily, for the week that we've spent testing him. He brought him into our bedroom every morning, waking me up with a shrill, unintelligible story before blasting out a guitar riff with an enthusiasm that is already wearing thin. It won't be long, of course, before Clippy gathers dust in some corner, replaced by the Next Thing. I imagine he'll end up in a thrift store, awaiting a new family to dazzle and confuse in equal measure. I just hope, whoever they are, that they like Survivor.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Prediction: This Artificial Intelligence Stock Will Be More Valuable Than Nvidia, Apple, and Microsoft in 5 Years
Nvidia, Apple, and Microsoft are the three most valuable stocks in the world today. In five years, however, Amazon could overtake them due to the enormous opportunities it possesses in artificial intelligence. These 10 stocks could mint the next wave of millionaires › Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) are the three most valuable stocks in the world right now, with market caps north of $3 trillion. They are prominent names in tech, and all stand to benefit significantly from artificial intelligence (AI) as they enhance their existing products and services. But while these stocks have all been doing well, I'm not confident that they will remain on top when looking at the longer term -- the next five years. By then, I think one company will surpass all of them in value, and that's Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN). While Amazon is already a massive company, and it, too, is worth a sizable amount -- over $2 trillion, I see plenty of room for it to become even more valuable. Here are just some of the AI-related opportunities that the company is pursuing: The company is rolling out Alexa+, an AI-powered version of its popular assistant, which will cost $19.99 per month for non-Prime subscribers. It invested billions into Anthropic, a key rival of ChatGPT. Amazon plans to invest over $100 billion into data centers over the next decade. Its subsidiary, Zoox, is developing robotaxis that can drive up to 45 miles per hour at night and amid light rain. It is developing its own AI chips -- which even Apple has used. There are a plethora of opportunities for Amazon when it comes to AI. For a business that generated nearly $33 billion in free cash flow last year, it has the resources at its disposal to continue investing heavily in AI, which can pay off significantly in the future. From enhancing its online marketplace to entering in new opportunities like robotaxis, it arguably has more to gain from AI than the tech stocks that are more highly valued than it is right now. Amazon has plenty of growth potential ahead, but for it to catch up to the big three, it'll probably need them to stumble. Here's why I think that will happen. Microsoft Copilot has been underwhelming, with Salesforce's Marc Benioff often comparing it to Clippy from years past, which was a big disappointment. While it's infused into the company's office applications, it isn't turning out to be a huge growth catalyst for the business, at least not yet. Microsoft is the safe AI stock to buy, but it may not be the best one, as Copilot will be going up against other chatbots. And it's hard to make the case that it's winning. The company's sales were up just 13% in the most recent quarter (covering the first three months of the year). Apple fumbled the rollout of AI, delaying the launch of Apple Intelligence and frustrating both analysts and customers along the way. It gave up on its electric car and has been scaling back on its Vision Pro headset. Innovation simply hasn't been a strong point for the company in recent years, and while it does have a strong ecosystem of products and services, there's little reason to expect the company will be at the forefront of AI development in the future. The stock could be due for a decline, given how lackluster its performance has been on that front. Nvidia continually performs well, but in the years ahead, there could be more competition to worry about. Rival Advanced Micro Devices recently posted a strong quarter, perhaps signaling proof that its chips may offer serious competition. Meanwhile, as Amazon and other companies make their own custom chips, Nvidia's high-priced products may experience a slowdown. At the very least, investors may scale back the multiples they're willing to pay for Nvidia. Amazon was involved in AI well before ChatGPT made it a hot buzzword in the market. The company has looked for ways to automate its warehouses and use next-gen technologies to make its processes more efficient. With so many ways to still benefit from AI's growth, I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes the most valuable stock in the world in the next five years. Amazon is a top growth stock to own, and one that you can buy and forget about. Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you'll want to hear this. On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a 'Double Down' stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you're worried you've already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it's too late. And the numbers speak for themselves: Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you'd have $351,127!* Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you'd have $40,106!* Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you'd have $642,582!* Right now, we're issuing 'Double Down' alerts for three incredible companies, available when you join , and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon.*Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025 John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. David Jagielski has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Salesforce. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Prediction: This Artificial Intelligence Stock Will Be More Valuable Than Nvidia, Apple, and Microsoft in 5 Years was originally published by The Motley Fool
Forbes
20-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Niftier Than Clippy, SAP Reimagines Omnipresent AI For Business
BERLIN, GERMANY - AUGUST 09: In this photo illustration hands are typing on a keyboard of a tablet ... More on August 09, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo Illustration by Thomas Imo/Photothek via Getty Images) Clippy failed. Microsoft's ill-fated office assistant Clippy (officially named Clippit) largely failed because humans already react to computers in the same way that they do with humans. Variously described as a 'tragic misunderstanding and misinterpretation of anthropomorphism' by academics, Microsoft's miscalculation was to humanize an element of computing power that we already consider to be human, resulting in Clippy being regarded as an annoying interloper. One quarter of a century later, enterprise artificial intelligence has to do a whole lot better than 'it looks like you're writing a letter' and start to directly engage in business workflows as it draws upon the agentic and generative AI functions of the modern age. Not only does enterprise AI have to be pitched at the right level of physical embodiment, it also needs to understand language, sentiment, context and intent in ways far beyond the doomed paperclip. Although lessons have been learned, the hype-cycle driving AI (let's do AI, let's add retrieval augmented generation, let's embrace large language models… no, wait, let's specialize via small language models too, let's deliver non-deterministic agentic AI functions and so on) is surely not immune to creating technology for technology's sake. What we need is technology for the sake of business, technology for the sake of workplace well-being and sustainable technology for the sake of good. German-American softwarehause SAP thinks it can draw upon its track record in enterprise resource planning technologies and business-centric software services to make AI functions both performant and practically useful. The company calls its copilot software Joule (as in the unit of energy, named after the eminent English physicist) and it is a generative AI service that works to streamline and enhance user interactions inside SAP business systems. The company wants Joule to be regarded as an omnipresent copilot that extends across a 'collaborative network of AI agents' that work across systems and lines of business. The company promises productivity gains up to a somewhat arbitrary sounding figure of 30 percent, but surely massive inconsistency in that measurement occurs across different industry verticals, different business models and differing organizational structures. 'SAP combines the world's most powerful suite of business applications with uniquely rich data and the latest AI innovations to create a virtuous circle of customer value. With the expansion of Joule, our partnerships with leading AI pioneers and advancements in SAP Business Data Cloud, we're making business AI real as we drive digital transformations that help customers thrive in an increasingly unpredictable world,' said SAP CEO Christian Klein, in a canned statement. Perhaps addressing the exact type of service delivery miscalculations referenced above, SAP details its development of Joule, saying that it interacts with business applications, making work more conversational and personalized. Apparently eschewing any notion of an AI assistant's risk of getting in the way, SAP is instead going all-in and now unveiling 'an omnipresent Joule' that can accompany business users throughout their day, in and out of the SAP application universe, to find data, surface business real-time insights and streamline workflows. Joule's new ubiquity includes an 'action bar' powered by SAP WalkMe that studies user behavior across applications, turning Joule into an always-on, proactive AI that anticipates users' needs before they arise. Aquired in 2024, WalkMe is a digital adoption technology designed to help user training and onboarding i.e. not onboarding to a new job per se (although digital adoption would very arguably help at this point) onboarding here refers to the process of getting users familiar with the format, functions and formulations of an enterprise software application so that it is used effectively. This software's actions always adhere to SAP's strict ethical AI guidelines that anticipate how use of AI may also create economic, political and societal challenges, depending on how it is used and implemented. The company lists its rules of ethics based on UNESCO's 'Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence', which aligns with internationally recognized principles in this arena. According to Klein and team, SAP is also working with partners to offer ecosystem of AI agents that can execute end-to-end processes across customer experience, supply chain management, spend management, finance and human capital management workplace functions. The company also announced an 'operating system for AI' development to help build, deploy and scale AI solutions. Known as SAP AI Foundation, this technology provides software application developers with tools to build and run custom AI solutions. 'SAP also announced new intelligent applications for SAP Business Data Cloud. Intelligent applications help businesses streamline routine work through a combination of standard business metrics, AI models and integrated planning features. The new People Intelligence application, for instance, transforms people and skills data from SAP SuccessFactors HCM Suite into workforce insights and AI-driven recommendations, helping leaders optimize team performance, support employee growth and maintain compliance,' said the company. Despite claims, SAP is not necessarily the 'first AI operating system' in this arena. Microsoft Azure Sphere OS is a Linux-based OS that runs Azure Sphere microcontrollers; initially considered an internet of things service for intelligent devices, this technology has moved with the times towards the AI space and today works in close proximity to Microsoft's AI cloud services. A technology that might need less explanation in this space is IBM Watson OS with pre-integrated software services and tools that work across machine learning (including deep learning) and cognitive computing workloads. Built by Canonical, Ubuntu AI is a data science OS designed to develop machine learning models with additional management tooling to help oversee security controls and more. Also in this arena, we find Google Fuchsia and Tesla's AI OS. Created by Walturn, the personally-named Steve is an AI OS that uses shared AI memory and natural language processing. Its makers say that Steve is a user's 'gateway to AI-driven efficiency' as it helps streamline how businesses adopt and integrate AI. It ensures smarter workflows, better decision-making and enhanced productivity. If by now you're thinking this sounds like what SAP is saying, there's certainly some commonality across the marketplace here. According to Walturn's Flavia Trotolo, Hashim Hayat and Daheem Hayat, 'Traditional operating systems were primarily designed to manage hardware resources and provide user interfaces for general-purpose computing. However, the rapid advancements in AI necessitated the development of specialized AI operating systems optimized for machine learning, deep learning and neural network computations. [An] AI OS incorporates capabilities such as real-time processing, distributed computing, edge AI integration, and enhanced security protocols to facilitate efficient AI-driven applications.' The team further states that AI operating systems are 'particularly relevant' in domains that require adaptive learning and autonomous decision-making. These systems use technologies, including AI accelerators, cloud-based AI services and federated learning frameworks, to deliver high-performance computing experiences tailored to AI workloads. Balancing measures aimed at SAP notwithstanding, what the company will clearly bring forward is huge experience of business data, a massive and expansive understanding of where data flows go up, down, left and right inside modern digital workflows… and a very bottom line-aware understanding of where the buck starts and stops. In the ever-accelerating world of AI hype, that foundation in financial fundamentals may prove to be the company's defining factor.
Stuff.tv
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Stuff.tv
Netflix's smart AI plans expose Meta AI as a dumpster fire from hell
AI is terrible. AI will improve our future. Whether you love or hate AI, holding both those thoughts in your head at the same time might make it hurt. But you should. Because last week, two industry giants perfectly demonstrated how both statements can be true. Yes, AI can be a menace and a boon – it all depends on how it's being used. Right now, Netflix and Meta are using AI in very different ways. One is solving problems. The other is inviting us to stare into the abyss. Netflix first. Its plans have – for now – even convinced an AI sceptic like me. That's because Netflix is trying to solve real problems. The company will soon start exploring generative AI search, which means you'll be able to search for things to watch using conversational phrasing. And it's reworking its interface, enabling it to update on-the-fly, based on your activity. What Netflix is not doing: obnoxiously shoehorning AI into your life at every waking moment, for no good reason. It's not a hideous 2020s reboot of Clippy: 'Hey, you look like you're searching! AI CAN BROWSE FOR YOU. Go away, human. YOU ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED.' Etc. It's just quietly sliding tools into place, making a service work better. You know, like software is supposed to do. Granted, I'll be singing a different tune should Netflix one day swap out film and TV show thumbnails with AI-generated slop. And I did grumble at reports that Bandersnatch is getting the boot because it's not compatible with this partly AI-powered redesign. That said, Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker would probably think the removal from Netflix of an old episode due to the march of technology is both weirdly appropriate and really funny. Met-ARGH AI I had to ask. Meta AI had no answers. I decided to not post that to the public feed. Meta AI has suffered enough. Meanwhile, Meta has taken the opposite approach with its shiny new standalone app and website. I spent some time on so that you don't have to. You can thank me later, because what I found there wasn't so much an aid to humanity as a doomscroll of the worst of AI, all packed into a single, convenient scrolling feed. It's full of anodyne 3D art with a plastic sheen and a questionable grasp of anatomy. Modern art clones that would have led Van Gogh to stab their creators with his brush. So. Many. Candy. Bedrooms. Why? And throughout, a creeping sense people are increasingly getting a warped sense of creativity, since they can get a visual approximation of what's in their heads with zero effort. But the results are mostly mesmerising purely in their mediocrity. Woven between the art vomit are AI chats, which equally mix confidence and hallucinations. A genuine highlight: answering 'best questions to ask on a fifth date' with 'What do you like to do on a typical weekend?' I've not been in the dating game for a long while, but this strikes me as… not good for date five? Most baffling of all, you have to make an extra effort to post any of this on the public feed. People are choosing to! Again: why? Presumably, they think it's fun, and Meta's correctly made a calculation that this is what gets people excited about AI, not quietly making apps better. Although there's a non-zero chance I just wasted hours researching, for this very column, a website where no-one posting there is actually real, predicting a future internet solely populated by squabbling AIs. Which, ironically, sounds like a Black Mirror episode. Albeit a rubbish one written by AI rather than Charlie Brooker. I doubt he'd see the funny side of that.
Deccan Herald
08-05-2025
- Deccan Herald
Software engineer brings Microsoft Office's Clippy back to life with AI capabilities
Software engineer Felix Rieseberg has resurrected the Clippy with Artificial Intelligence capability. It retains the retro look of the paperclip with expressive cartoonish rounder eyes and eyebrows.
