"I've often joked that I would love to have a pet if only animals did not need to poop and eat smelly, wet mush from a can. I want a fuzzy pal to hang out with all day, but then I'll hear that my friend spent $500 at the vet because their cat nibbled on a leaf, and the illusion breaks."
"Casio says that the Moflin doesn't understand or record what I say, but it converts what it hears into non-identifiable data so that it can distinguish my voice from others. When TechCrunch ran a network analysis on the accompanying MofLife app, we didn't notice anything shady. As a tech reporter, I've seen too much to fully let my guard down -"
Aversion to biological care and unpredictable veterinary costs deter some people from owning live pets. The Moflin is a plush, AI-enabled robotic pet priced at $430. Potential buyers question whether the product justifies its cost and whether it might surveil users. The NSA's past Furby ban is cited as precedent for eavesdropping concerns. Casio states that the Moflin does not understand or record speech and transforms audio into non-identifiable data to distinguish voices. A network analysis of the MofLife companion app revealed no suspicious activity. The Moflin is designed to use AI to learn, display limited emotions, and form attachments over time.
Read at TechCrunch
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