THE O.K. LIST #22 / We don't need AI sidekicks, Mirumi is all we need, and I can prove it in court!

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Starting a new year means two things: going dry and keeping up with CES. Luckily for me, I am only doing one of those, and I'll let you figure out for yourself which one.

A lot has happened while I was away eating the equivalent of my body weight in fruit cake (I know, I am part of the statistic): Beyoncè Bowl, Spotify Wrapped, Bad Bunny's DtMF, LA fires, Fernanda Torres winning the Golden Globes... a lot really!

But we're back, just like digital cameras, which apparently were the number one gift unwrapped by Gen Z in the Christmas season. And I'm not talking DSLR; I am talking the same point-and-shoots we would take to the club in 2009, the same ones that fed our 150+ Facebook albums titled "Emily bday at Sharkeez" (don't judge me, I have a past).

So obviously I brought back to life my banged-out Nikon, just like I am doing with THE O.K. LIST now!

And no, I will not wish you a happy new year, it's already January 13th, ew...

COURTROOM GOES VR

For the first time in US history, a judge accepted a VR demonstration to be put into evidence for a case.

Broward County Judge Andrew Siegel used an Oculus Quest 2 VR headset, supplied by the defense, to view a wedding reception from the perspective of the owner, Miguel Albisu, who is on trial for aggravated assault.

The virtual simulation was developed by an artist hired by the defense team and If the judge is satisfied, it may be used by a jury for the first time ever too.

THE KIND OF ROBOT WE WANT (BUT DON'T NEED)

If there was one word to describe CES 2025 it would be ROBOTS! They were everywhere, equipped with AI, ready to take humankind into Terminator-like dystopian scenarios... Well, maybe not yet, but it is getting close.

One robot however stole the attention and the hearts of tech media. Mirumi has no AI feature, and it is pretty much a companion gadget that you can clip onto you bag or wrist, and it reacts to the world around it, almost like a baby would. It glances around, hides its face when shy, and responds to cuddles.

If you are anything like me and would love to buy it, join the line for a potential crowdfunding round Yukai Engineering is planning to lift this Furby-like animatron from concept to real product.

WE GOT AUTONOMOUS CO-PLAYERS BEFORE GTA6

NPCs were a big trend in 2023/2024, with influencers making fun of the dumb, lifeless way these non-playable characters interact with the main character and the world in a video game.

Well, not for long. NVIDIA announced an expansion of their RTX-accelerated ACE suite for digital human technologies to help build better, more autonomous game characters.

Pretty soon we'll be able to play with a sidekick that responds to how we play the game and autonomously helps with the quest in smart ways that synch with our strategies.

Don't trust me? Here's a slice of NVIDIA's press release:

NVIDIA is now expanding ACE from conversational NPCs to autonomous game characters that use AI to perceive, plan, and act like human players. Powered by generative AI, ACE will enable living, dynamic game worlds with companions that comprehend and support player goals, and enemies that adapt dynamically to player tactics. Enabling these autonomous characters are new ACE small language models (SLMs), capable of planning at human-like frequencies required for realistic decision-making, and multi-modal SLMs for vision and audio that allow AI characters to hear audio cues and perceive their environment.

I predict more sidequests while the world crumbles around the main quest. And I'm here for it.

THE BEST NEW TRAVEL GADGET

More of a niche offering at CES, Rokid drew a lot of attention to its new smart glasses (which were THE wearable category to pay attention to this year).

What makes Rokid smart glasses different from the rest? The Verge explains it:

The micro-etched display on the front of the Rokid Glasses is discreet — almost invisible from the front. There’s no weird protrusion like with the old Google Glass, and it uses a monochrome green light for better visibility in brighter surroundings. It may not be the AR of science fiction, but adding a simple heads-up display felt surprisingly useful.

The demo shown on the convention floor was for immediate translations that you can see in real-time on the display while someone talks to you in a foreign language.

Something I sure would have appreciated in the many call center calls I've done living in Germany these past four years.

BRANDS DOING IT

• If you were in a club in the early 2000's you might recognize the soundtrack of Dove's new ad. A reimagined (and safe for children) version of Khia's "My Neck, My Back" validates consumers' use of deodorant in other parts of the body that are not the armpits (while leaving to the imagination the other body parts mentioned in the original song). Judging from comments and reactions, this new content is a big hit.

• We might have flipped the page on 2024, but Sabrina Carpenter is still here spreading her raunchy sense of humor, this time in partnership with Dunkin' Donuts. Together they invite people to shake their ess...presso, by trying the new Sabrina's Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso drink. Given how many calories are in Dunkin's drinks, we're sure to leave shaking much more than just our asses.

THE PLAYLIST

New year, reset the playlist.

The O.K. Playlist 2025 resolution is to always stay up-to-date and fresh. So out with the old, and in with what’s serving.

Bad Bunny is dominating my personal playlists at the moment, but I made sure to make space for Lola Young, JADE, Julia Michaels, Japanese Breakfast, SZA, Doechii, Σtella, and more.

Tell your boss it is for trend research, grab a coffee, book a meeting room, and come vibe with #TheOKPlaylist.

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