There’s No Rabbit In This Hat

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the recent launch of the Rabbit r1 device, which is described as an unfinished and barely functioning AI device that fails to deliver on its promises. It also touches on the broader issues surrounding the AI industry, including the trend of "grifters" jumping from crypto to NFTs to AI and delivering subpar products while making grandiose claims.

🙋 Q&A

[01] There's No Rabbit In This Hat

1. What are the key issues with the Rabbit r1 device?

• The Rabbit r1 device is described as unfinished, barely functioning, and delivering very little of what it promised
• It is slow, laggy, and has poor battery life, with cumbersome usability
• The device can only integrate with 4 apps at launch, including DoorDash, which the founder struggled to use in a live demo
• Reviews have been poor, with the device described as a "cool looking device that doesn't do much"

2. How have the Rabbit founders responded to the criticism?

• They have responded with the usual "roadmaps of future features, promises and the 'we're a small team, give us time' sympathy call"
• Their defensive PR response has only encouraged more criticism and a "pile on"

3. What evidence suggests the Rabbit r1 is not truly an AI device?

• Hackers have discovered that the device runs on an Android app, with no evidence of any artificial intelligence behind it
• An AI researcher claimed there is no AI behind the device, and someone else found the login process to be potentially insecure

4. What is the background of the Rabbit founder, Jesse Lyu?

• He was previously behind a "grifty NFT project called Gama", which was described as a rug pull where he disappeared with the money from initial NFT sales
• This suggests a pattern of jumping from one "next big thing" to another, with a history of failed and potentially fraudulent projects

[02] Broader Issues with the AI Industry

1. What is the author's perspective on the current state of the AI industry?

• The author is "sick of AI folks telling [them] they're creating the future only to deliver absolute garbage"
• They are tired of "grifters jumping from Crypto to NFTs to AI, burning through millions in VC cash" while producing nothing of note
• The author is frustrated with the "sociopathically disconnected from reality" rhetoric around AI's potential benefits to society

2. What does the author argue is needed from the AI industry?

• The author argues that if AI is going to be revolutionary, it needs to start delivering "real, tangible evidence of the net gain to society", rather than just "ifs, buts and maybes" and "high-level, world-changing statements"
• They state that if the current AI outputs, such as Rabbit, Humane Pin, and ChatGPT, are "as good as it gets, this revolution is going to go out with a whimper"