Ever felt strange chatting with Siri, Google Assistant, or even ChatGPT, knowing they don’t really exist? Wehead has a solution—it may not be remarkable or affordable, but it aims to help humans anthropomorphize AI assistants, tackling challenges in unique ways.
The Wehead is an AI assistant designed to resemble a cyborg bust on your table. It features a face created by multiple displays with various avatars for chatting. Equipped with cameras, it can “see” you and moves its head, nodding and looking around. Despite its technical capabilities, the Wehead seems more like a tech-driven caricature than a lifelike head, making the attempt to humanize AI feel like a parody. It’s priced at a considerable $5,000. If you fear AI replacing humans, this one is unlikely to do so.
The Weahad attempts to achieve technology’s long-standing goal of creating companionship through AI. It’s intended to be a conversational friend offering sage advice. However, the concept of taking advice from a split-screen body-less oracle head feels both dystopian and amusing.
The company promoting the Wehead GPT claims it’s an embodied Large Language Model (LLM) assisting with brainstorming, decision-making, and self-reflection on any topic, anytime, at home or the office. Despite this noble goal, the device’s appearance, mimicking a human head with oddly angled screens, hinders its effectiveness. The term ’embodied’ feels a bit exaggerated, and perhaps Wehead could seek inspiration from Google’s Project Starline.
The WeHead GPT Edition announcement reminded me of when Tesla revealed its humanoid robot. Instead of a sophisticated robot, we saw someone in a spandex suit doing the robot dance. It was a clever move, trolling us and highlighting that the future isn’t always as polished as we envision.
Despite its somewhat dystopian feel, the WeHead has a charmingly humorous side. It’s like having a pet that requires no feeding or walking, just a power outlet and the occasional existential chat about its purpose. It won’t criticize you for wearing the same pajamas or talking to it because, after all, it’s just a head.
In a world where we’re constantly on our screens, having a physical head to talk to could be the quirky solution we didn’t realize we needed. However, it’s worth noting that you’ll still be interacting with screens through the WeHead. It aims to revive the art of conversation, even if it’s with a partner that’s more circuit board than flesh and blood. The WeHead doesn’t pretend to be your friend; it’s a reminder of the slightly unconventional future we’re entering, one awkward interaction at a time.
If you’re eager for a glimpse of the future and can find humor in the idea of AI taking over, the WeHead GPT Edition could be your choice. It’s not just a conversation piece; it’s designed to enhance your conversations with a touch of the future’s unique flavor. Soon available for those wanting to add a futuristic twist to their chats, it comes with a price tag of 5 grand. In a world filled with uncertainties, talking to a head might turn out to be the most sensible thing you do.
