AI crisis: Sony reports shortage of cute robot puppies!

Buddhist funerals for robot dogs

Contrary to what was stated in the article, some owners of first gen Aibos remained very attached to them. The funerals mentioned here are result of Sony ceasing to repair Aibos in 2014.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/03/japan-robot-dogs-get-solemn-buddhist-send-off-at-funerals

Cheap compared to a real puppy

at around US$1,800, plus about half that for a three-year cloud subscription fee

At these prices it will be cheaper to buy than most of the "designer" puppies and the on-going costs for the cloud subscription are cheaper than feeding a puppy. Also, it will be a puppy forever... however, I wonder how long before the IoT device (face it that is what it is) is hacked and becomes a Trojan horse.

Academic research

Academic researchers latched on to the original as a cheap standard robotic platform which multiple AI researchers could use as a baseline in comparing their results. Around the world they were committing an increasing number of new research programmes around it when Sony, unaware of this imminent revenue stream, pulled the plug.

Let's hope that doesn't happen again.

I'm sure I've told this before but back when the first Aibo came out I remember seeing one being demoed by staff at the Tech Museum in San Jose. As they spoke to it to ask it to do things it either did what was asked "which shows how good its AI is in working out what we want it to do" or sat still or did something completely different "which shows how goiod its AI is as its able to decide what it wants to do itself"

"Sony plans to sell Aibo outside Japan real soon now."

"Real soon now"? I thought this was a British website :P

UK sales

Of course, taking a clue from Apple, who just change the currency symbol so a 999USD laptop became a 999GBP laptop, we can expect Aibo 2 to be offered at 196200GBP (1800USD x 109). One could probably get one of the Royal Corgis for less.

Out on the US market

It is out on the US market and A bundle package for Aibo will cost $2,899.