"Large language models are currently everyone's solution to everything. The technology's versatility is part of its appeal: the use cases for generative AI seem both huge and endless. But then you use the stuff, and not enough of it works very well. And you wonder what we're really accomplishing here. On this episode of The Vergecast, Nilay rejoins the show full of thoughts about the current state of AI - particularly after spending a summer trying to get his smart home to work."
"We talk about the state of AI assistants, which are clearly the killer consumer app for LLMs, and which no one can build particularly well yet. ChatGPT and the others are fun to use! But that's not the same as being useful - especially not in the omnipresent, all-knowing way we actually require. The ideal product here is both obvious and tantalizing, but it doesn't feel like we're close to it. Unless you're really excited about talking to your laptop."
An ad-free podcast option launched; subscribers can find feeds in account settings. Apple released M5-powered MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro, raising questions about how significant a chip bump really is. AI assistants represent the clearest consumer application for large language models, but current implementations are more entertaining than reliably useful. Experiences trying to get smart home systems to work reveal practical limitations, instability, and user frustration with present AI integration. The ideal omnipresent, all-knowing assistant remains an obvious and tantalizing product, yet available systems do not feel close to meeting that standard. A lightning-round assortment of topics includes TiVos, Cybertrucks, an exploding Pixel 10 Pro Fold battery, Apple TV, and other gadget news.
Read at The Verge
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