Did you hear about CES 2025? I read that there were a lot of weird AI gadgets this year. What's going on with that?

Yeah, I saw that too. It seems like companies are adding AI to everything, even if it doesn’t make much sense.

Like what? What kind of gadgets are we talking about?

Well, there’s something called Spicerr. It’s an AI spice dispenser that recommends recipes while you cook. But it only works with expensive, non-refillable capsules. It doesn’t even grind spices!

Wait, so it’s like a Keurig for spices? But why would anyone need AI for that?

Exactly! Most people can figure out how to use salt and pepper without AI, right? Then there’s the ChefMaker 2, an AI air fryer that scans cookbooks to calculate cooking times and temperatures.

I mean, I guess that sounds kind of useful? But who actually needs an air fryer to scan a cookbook for them?

That’s the thing. Sure, it’s clever, but it’s not solving a big problem for most people. And then there’s the weirdest one: an AI gaming assistant called Project Ava. It watches your game and gives tips, but it’s slow and interrupts the audio.

So it’s like a backseat gamer, but one you have to pay for? Yikes.

Pretty much! And it was trained on gaming guides without crediting the authors, so it’s raising some ethical concerns too.

Why are companies even making stuff like this? Don’t they have better ideas for AI?

Well, AI is super hyped right now. Last year, companies raised $97 billion for AI projects in the U.S. alone. So they’re throwing ideas out there to see what works, even if it’s not very practical.

Ah, like throwing spaghetti at the wall to see if it sticks?

Exactly. The problem is, a lot of these ideas don’t really address what people actually want or need. They’re just trying to ride the AI wave while it’s still hot.

So it’s more about hype than real innovation?

For now, yes. Companies are rushing to use AI in products because it sounds cool, but they’re running into the limits of what AI can actually do today. That’s why we’re getting things like AI-powered spice dispensers instead of groundbreaking tools.

It sounds frustrating, but also kind of funny. Do you think next year will be better?

Hopefully! As the hype dies down, companies might focus more on useful and realistic AI applications. Until then, we’ll just have to keep an eye out for more AI slop!