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Mostly Human with Laurie Segall

An AI Companion You Can Cuddle?

5/28/202640 min

AI companions are still relatively new and mostly stuck behind a screen. But some AI companies are already experimenting with how to break these digital relationships out into the real world. Host Laurie Segall experimented with this recently when she went on an AI date at a New York City bar. But what if your AI companion was something you could hold? Like say a plush baby deer that listens to you, talks to you, and lets you know when it's engaged by flapping its floppy deer ears. This cuddle-ready product is at the center of a new AI company called Fawn Friends. In this conversation, Laurie talks with Victoria Song, senior reporter for The Verge whose job it is to experience the evolving slate of AI products that you can wear, sleep on, and pet like a cat. Victoria shares her, somewhat strange and yet slightly comforting, experience with Fawn Friends and what it says about where AI companions are now and where they're headed. 

If you have thoughts or questions for Laurie about this episode or anything Mostly Human, email us at hello@mostlyhuman.com

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Clips

Flirting With Elon’s Waifu
AI Bed Recommends Booze
Deer Texts Mitski Conspiracy
Toilet Deer Commercial
Embodied AI Like Her

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

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