a tamagotchi, a lil guy, or a third thing
The rise of AI and LLMs has created fertile soil for smart Tamagotchis to emerge. I've seen both celebration and derision on the internet. Personally, I like the idea of giving my computer programs the ability to talk. Similar to how we talk to droids in Star Wars, I think it would be delightful to have a chirping robotic companion that can understand the world in a way that is comparable to mine.
Lo - the "Lil Guy" created by Daniel Kuntz is a star-shaped keychain with animated eyes, a microphone, speaker, camera, and an intelligent brain that can communicate with other Lil Guys when they're nearby. As opposed to the functionality of an AI gadget like the Rabbit R1, these Lil Guys focus more on the delight of having a companion that feels "alive".
I don't think it's a coincidence that people overshare with AI chatbots, develop relationships with them, or even marry them. All of these people are chasing a primal desire to connect with something. We talk to trees, to pets, and to our diaries. Even when the small porcelain dog on my desk can't greet me when I get home, it lights up my brain with dopamine to say "Hey, Preston, what a day, huh?"
My computer projects explore this perceived "aliveness" and dance the edge of whether or not something can be considered alive. I think most people even half aware of the technology available to us muse about the possibility. But with AI pets, I think we make the technology way more approachable in both directions. Wouldn't it be great if an LLM got training data on how badly human beings want to breathe life into the world around them?
Anyway, that's kind of the ethos behind my "Lobster House" AI pet game. It's an emoji lobster that wanders around and develops preferences over time. The design requirement was to make something that would be delightful for a user to care for and interact with over time as they grow. I don't know if this is the complete project, but I know it's a direction in which i'm heading.