I posted this earlier somewhere else on Lemmy but the post got so much AI-ridicule that I simply deleted it.
My father is a long-time retired engineer and have always loved tech. These days he's unfortunately legally blind. Recently I picked up two Rabbit R1's - one for me to play around with and one as a gift for my father. I set up his R1 first - which literally took 5 mins.
Gave it to him on Tuesday and within 10 mins he was off. He was asking it things about weather, radio, etc. and then there was the moment that choked me up a bit. He was on the couch and our daughter was on the floor. He held up the R1 and used the camera and asked to describe his granddaughter and it did that and included that she was wearing a t-shirt with a yellow animal on it. He immediately asked her what animal it was and they went back and forth a few times and I could see how he was enjoying them talking like this.
He then picks up the R1 and says* "thank you rabbit".*
The benefit to him is the very easy user interface - hold the button to speak and press it twice to activate the camera. That's essentially it. No complicated smartphone to navigate through and now he has a way to 'see' things.
I do wish all these AI-haters would try to rise above their hateful mudslinging and realize that like anything it's a tool and it not up to you to tell others how to use it.
a) None of that had anything to do with freedom of speech, and b) Really don't care what the felon has to say about anything