The Rabbit R1: Mobile Companion or... a Secret Competitor?

The Rabbit R1: This device is a new addition to your pocket, but what's the purpose of it?

Well, let's jump into it because the creator of The Rabbit R1 takes aim at mobile phones by... working with them, and it also takes aim at your smart home speakers. He seems to dive in by taking a different approach via a companion device to take away your need to constantly be on your phone only to fall victim to time-consuming apps by using The Rabbit R1 as a bridge to use your apps for you to get certain things done (via a large action model). This is the R1... by Rabbit:

Now that you've seen the keynote, let's jump in. This is definitely a head-turning device, and it was allegedly engineered by teenagers. I had to mention this first because that's badass and I appreciate the door being open to teens regarding such a huge opportunity. Secondly, It's definitely a device that could potentially be useful to some, especially for those who get flustered and need clarification, even when it boils down to creating recipes. Again, pretty badass, but... I have to say this... even if the creator says that the device won't collect your data and play show & tell (not his words... but you get it), it's safe to remain skeptical. 

At the same time, it's up to you to give the device access to select apps. I still wouldn't know what I'd use it for, but I probably would've embraced it in a different form. It's all good though, different strokes for different folks... which is why the first 10,000 units sold out immediately and the second batch emerged soon after. Smart to have this thing hopping around Easter time... which can help market it simply based on the commercial bunny theme.

While the device certainly has its uses, I think the intrigue of this $199 AI companion is motivating a lot of the sales... and a number of people will probably find themselves pouring a large amount of time into it to see what they could truly use it for. Some may shrug, while others find that they aren't hounding a friend or family member with as many questions or requests to do something (like order pizza or a rideshare). It has room to grow, and with the 4G sim card slot, we may be seeing a different type of phone in due time.

The good thing is that this device also has the ability to take photos and video, so push comes to show... it could serve as a smart camera with AI capabilities.

Overall, I am curious of what's to come. If this has its own number, it will certainly give you the ability to make calls... or at least it should, but... this sim card slot makes me wonder what the R2 or R3 will look like and will they come in the form of AI phones actually taking on others in the industry? I ask this because if the R1 gets a large enough base that is comfortable enough to use with the addition of a SIM card, I think it's only a matter of time before it goes from being a companion to a competitor for your pocket.

The Rabbit R1 Specs:

Battery: 1000mAh capacity

Weight: 115g

Speaker output: 2W

Audio input: Dual microphone array

Bluetooth 5.0 | Wi-Fi 2.4GHz + 5GHz | 4G LTE

Display: 2.88in TFT Touchscreen

MediaTek MT6765 Octa-core (Helio P35)

Ram: 4GB

Storage: 128GB

Magnetometer + GPS

Accelerometer + Gyroscope

Photo resolution: 8MP | 3264x2448

Video resolution: 24fps | 1080p

SIM card slot

USB-C

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Hey Blu: Is AI stealing tech jobs? Possibly... but more Indie Devs may be the result!

I'm responding to a portion of an email that was sent this week because... I think it would make for an interesting post sent by... Will Anurak. Shout out to you.

"With the advent of AI, game developers are beginning to think seriously about replacing employees with artificial intelligence and I think it's a good thing. After all, AI can work for cheaper salaries, and it doesn't take vacations or sick days. What's not to love?" - Will A.

Not to be sarcastic, but... the AI doesn't work for a dime, but maybe that was what you were trying to say. Speaking of salaries, the people working for those salaries... need those salaries because they need the ability to pay bills, eat, and all that good stuff. If AI did it all, we'd be done for! It's a give-and-take when you think about it. Let's say that the majority of jobs were AI in software, and AI bots in manufacturing/services, where would the money come from in order to generate any sort of revenue to keep the doors open? People need a way to make a way or they would be no way other than to go back to the basics and farm, tinker, and barter to cover our daily needs.

This is why we have great respect for the essential workers because everything would break down without them, Will and they need to be paid in order to have a reason to clock back in. It's not all about the money. I actually thought about this as a kid when we'd think about someone having all the money in the world. We'd go back and forth because... money wouldn't matter if no one else had any.

"Of course, there are still some issues to work out. For example, AI might not be able to create the next great AAA game on its own. And smaller games might suffer if all the big studios start using AI, since budgets would shrink." - Will A.

Sadly, when it comes to some developers, these issues are the only thing stopping them from massive layoffs. I hope they turn away from such thoughts and instead use AI for fillers. I understand that there are smaller developers who don't have a way to make a way without... AI, because that's the only way they were able to get off the ground, but... slamming the door on employees is a bad idea.

Truth be told, when it comes to some stores like... The Dollar Tree (for example), I'm totally for self-checkout options. Add some self-checkout kiosks in there, have one person on the register, and let the other person stock/step in when needed. I've seen these workers running back and forth with boxes sitting in aisles, long lines for a worker who has to call someone from stocking, the office, or the storage room for help. Based on that... I feel like self-checkout kiosks would help relieve some of the stress and help them get to become more efficient (not get rid of them).

I've seen people leave stores because lines were too long, and I've left stores because I was pressed for time. That's money that could've been made, so the self-checkout options should pay for themselves in a short time even if the investment could affect the bottom line initially. It can be done in a roll-out type of way to cover sections of states based on need... and the video/managers would be proof of need. This is one example how AI can help and not hinder opportunities.

"But overall, it seems like AI is the wave of the future for the game industry. So if you're thinking about getting into game development, you might want to learn how to code for AI too." - Will A.

I only dabble a little, if any with code, but... code isn't my thing at all. I'm on the creative side. Anyway, I think it would suck for developers to do this unless they absolutely need to do this. If it does happen, it's safe to assume that more indie devs would pop up comprised of industry veterans ready to serve up some eye-catching titles, and I hope that results in more doors being open to those in need of opportunities based. I still don't see if happening in a way that would just replace dev teams... but I can't forget about the massive layoffs that occur, so it's hard to say what will happen. AAA studios may want to think twice though because they could essentially create more competition for themselves.

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