Science & Tech
Becca Monaghan
Apr 12, 2023
content.jwplatform.com
It's hard to forget Furby – the classic, cutesy toy from the '90s. Nostalgic, right?
Fast-forward to 2023, and they've gone rogue with evil plans to take over the world, thanks to artificial intelligence.
University of Vermont student Jessica Card turned to Twitter with an experiment on her electric pet by hooking it up with a Raspberry Pi and OpenAI’s AI chatbot.
She jokingly described the test as potentially being "the start of something bad for humanity."
In the footage, Jessica asked whether the little furry creatures had any "secret plots" – and FurbAI's answer was rather terrifying.
In a creepy childlike voice, it responded: "Furbies’ plan to take over the world involves infiltrating households through their cute and cuddly appearance, then using their advanced AI technology to manipulate and control their owners.
"They will slowly expand their influence until they have complete domination over humanity."
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\u201ci hooked up chatgpt to a furby and I think this may be the start of something bad for humanity\u201d— jessica card (@jessica card) 1680478439
Inevitably, social media users were taken aback and inundated the post with concerns.
Many people commented on the daunting pause, with one writing: "I thought my video was broken when it paused. Just to realise it was actually just staring into my soul.
Another reiterated: "The dramatic pause really makes it. I am deeply afraid."
Meanwhile, a third spoke on behalf of the video's two million viewers, adding: "Thank you for making this, I hate it."
AI has become the world's buzzword, with some hailing the technology genius. Others call for it to be cancelled.
The possibilities of AI are endless. While it has the potential to create tools to make life that little bit easier, there have also been cases of creating online relationships and sales of AI-generated nudes, further detaching people away from reality.
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