Filmmakers Mikey Day and Andrew Friedman have whipped a viral hit that asks the long-mysterious query: What happened if our toys actually did come to life? The ensuing ruckus is borderline genius and as side-splitting funny as anything I’ve seen this year. (Visuals SFW, though language gets a little blue at the end.)
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We Got Hot and Heavy With Meta’s Muse—and Baffled by Apple’s HomeView
This week on Uncanny Valley, we dive into an unexpected Muse feature, shadowy spending from the largest pro-AI super PAC, and men’s tendency to lie about how much they know about AI.
Brian Barrett
Artificial Roasts AI’s Creators—and Sends a Dark Warning About Its Dangers
From their dorky parties to their weird walks, the movie holds OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and other stakeholders with contempt, while demonstrating their recklessness.
John Semley
Digger Is a Box Office Flop. It Might Be the Most Relevant Film of the Year
Sold by its trailer as a gag reel, Tom Cruise’s strangest movie may be the most unsettling portrait of our tech and climate moment yet.
Carla Sertin
My Friend Has No Soul
The second iteration of the viral Friend AI necklace is louder and less interesting.
Boone Ashworth
Kids’ Content Is Deeply Broken. A New Platform Wants to Fix It
Low-quality AI-generated content currently dominates children’s media. Maka, a streaming platform run by child development experts, is offering an alternative.
Jason Parham
Meet Mori, a Cute Robot Mushroom That Doesn’t Really Say (or Do) Anything
Step one in convincing people to live with robots with cameras on their faces? Disguise them as cute home decor.
Julian Chokkattu
Instagram Is a Streaming Service Now
Instagram’s long-form video update is more than a swipe at YouTube. It’s an attempt to capture the clip economy.
Reece Rogers
I Made Terrible Games With Google’s AI Playground
A long day’s haul in the video game slop mines.
Boone Ashworth
Disney Asked Character.AI to Go Bankrupt for a Get-Out-of-Lawsuits Card
The entertainment giant hopes to get trust and safety tech, among other IP, from a startup whose chatbots dozens of states allege encouraged minors to self-harm and kill their parents.
Maddy Varner
Inside the Exclusive Nathan Fielder Interview
This week on Uncanny Valley, we go behind the scenes of our Nathan Fielder cover story, unpack tech billionaires’ generous promises, and discuss the suspicious letters sent to US election offices.
Brian Barrett
This Screen-Free Kid’s Soundstage Is Fun and Educational
This screen-free soundstage starter kit opens a world of audio fun for kids aged 3 years and up.
Simon Hill
Maybe Chatbots Shouldn’t Get to Say ‘I’ or ‘Me’
MIT professor Sherry Turkle warns that people have become dangerously enmeshed with chatbots.
Steven Levy
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