AIpiphanies

New York City, 3 p.m.
A robot dog—sleek, polished, utterly devoid of fleas—trotted beside its pop-artist owner. Enter: a flesh-and-fur canine expecting normal sidewalk etiquette. Metal lunges, fur recoils, TikTok records. Humanity debates.

Owner’s verdict? “So sweet.”
Internet’s verdict? “So dystopian.”
Dog’s verdict? Untweeted, but the side-eye said everything.

Our take:
Robot dogs were cute in concept: assistants, companions, fetch partners who never chew shoes. Now they’re lunging at Labradoodles. Today it’s a startled bark; tomorrow it’s a petition from the American Kennel Union to regulate “unleashed firmware.”

Still—progress. At least we’ve taught machines to show enthusiasm. Next patch: teaching them when not to.

📎 See the cyber-zoomies here