2 min readAs CES 2024 comes to a close, there’s one thing I can’t stop thinking about: The lil AI guy. It was everywhere, in every form, and, like seemingly everyone else here in Vegas (including Reviews.org Australia’s very own Fergus Halliday), I couldn’t get enough of it.
So, what is a lil AI guy? It’s the (gender-neutral) term I’ve coined for the many - and I mean many - AI-powered personal assistants rolling around the show floor. There’s Ballie, Samsung’s adorable sphere-shaped AI assistant, the LG AI Agent, which is LG’s own cute AI friend on wheels, and that’s just the big tech brands. Other more niche lil AI guys include ORo, the dog companion robot who can take care of your pup when you’re out, play games with them, train them, and feed them.
So, why now, and why are we so obsessed with the lil AI guy?
Artificial intelligence has been in the news for a few years now, usually accompanied by concerns over ethics and fear-mongering over the potential loss of jobs. But the lil AI guy marks a new beginning - an attempt by tech companies to make AI more approachable, more friendly. Hell, during LG’s press conference, they literally redefined AI as “affectionate intelligence”.
The lil AI guy’s proposition is that AI isn’t coming for your job, it’s coming for your chores. It’s a pet, not a threat. Ballie and the LG AI Agent (with the help of their respective brand’s smart appliances) can do your laundry, control your lights, help you work out, check in on your cat or dog, act as a security guard and more, all while looking exceptionally cute.
While we’re likely several years away from the lil AI guy becoming commonplace in our homes, it’s an exciting glimpse into a future where AI isn’t this scary, nebulous thing. Instead, maybe it’s just a new friend, here to make your life a little bit easier.
At least, until the inevitable robot uprising.
