David Berreby

New York

Author and Writer at Freelance

Articles

What Does a Humanoid Robot Do? I Asked a Humanoid Robot

2 weeks ago | robots4therestofus.substack.com | David Berreby

I am at ICRA – the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, aka 7,000 roboticists from all over the world converging to discuss every robot-related topic on Earth. More posts are coming, but for now, day-of, here is a quick podcast interview (the first with video) with, and about, one of the robots I saw in action today – Ameca, by Engineered Arts. After many an online video, this was my first time interacting with an Ameca robot in the (gray rubber) flesh.
Talking to Animals

1 month ago | robots4therestofus.substack.com | David Berreby

Imagine you’re walking down the street when you encounter an extraterrestrial. In one of its weird appendages it holds out a very cool looking gaming console – alien, yes, but comprehensible and deeply fascinating, as if it were the Nintendo Switch 5 or something. You’d love t play with it. At the same time a box on the alien’s thorax emits a word-like sound. “Dwerg!”You’re a smart primate. After a couple of go-rounds you think to say “Dwerg!” And the alien hands you the toy.
Every Robot Has a Plan, Until It Gets Punched in the Face

Mar 6, 2025 | robots4therestofus.substack.com | David Berreby

A couple of videos circulating last week showed robots and humans looking like they were about to throw down. They weren’t. But as humanoid makers all over the world ramp up production (and as several make splashy announcements that they are aiming to put their products in homes, and not just factories), these scenes are, I think, a glimpse of the future. Most compatible with people’s preconceptions is this video, taken February 9 at the Spring Festival Gala in Tianjin, China.
Sometimes AI Mediocrity Is Just What You Want

Feb 25, 2025 | robots4therestofus.substack.com | David Berreby

Last fall, I gave a talk in which I mentioned generative AI’s homogenizing effect on creative expression. These systems create their answers by analyzing patterns in what has already been written, or said, or imaged. So of course their writing and image-making isn’t tops for spark and originality. (That’s why, I think, some studies report that AI helps average performers at work more than it helps the stars.)I said this was unquestionably bad for creative people.
Robots for the Rest of Us

Feb 16, 2025 | robots4therestofus.substack.com | David Berreby

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Robots for the Rest of Us

Jan 27, 2025 | robots4therestofus.substack.com | David Berreby

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Before AI Permeates Our Lives, We Need a New Deal for Privacy

Jan 14, 2025 | robots4therestofus.substack.com | David Berreby

Current time: 0:00 / Total time: -51:25Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. Data scientist Wes Chaar was at home a few years ago, working with the tools of his trade, when he had an “aha!” moment. He realized the information he was looking at would let him predict not only what people would buy and how they’d vote, but also how they’d feel about their choices. Those people might not have shared those feelings with anyone, but Chaar could foresee they’d be there.
Is Generative AI a Leisure-Class Pastime?

Nov 26, 2024 | robots4therestofus.substack.com | David Berreby

Years ago I worked for a few months as an editor in the Opinion section of the New York Times, filling in for someone on maternity leave. Our workday had two different modes. One was sitting around, sometimes with our feet up on our desks, discussing the great issues and ideas of the day, and how we might get this or that person to write something interesting. The other was the opposite: frantic typing, calling and faxing (I did say it was a long time ago).
Automation's Hidden Menace

Aug 11, 2024 | robots4therestofus.substack.com | David Berreby

The other day at my annual eye checkup, I began with a young ophthalmologist, who measured the fluid pressure in my eyes, did some other checks, and had everything ready for my veteran doctor when he walked in. As they talked over the data, he said, "Hmm, let me take his pressure again.""See? It's actually a little lower than you wrote," he told his colleague. "The thing is, when you lift his eyelid a little for the machine, you're adding a very slight pressure from your finger.
Masło na podłodze, czyli po co robotom modele językowe

May 31, 2024 | projektpulsar.pl | David Berreby

Mimo wielu wspaniałych filmów na YouTube, przedstawiających roboty-magazynierów, roboty-psy, roboty-pielęgniarzy i oczywiście roboty-samochody, żadne z tych urządzeń nie jest elastyczne i zdolne sobie radzić jak człowiek. Jak temu zaradzić? Roboty przygotowują posiłki w restauracjach na całym świecie od Szanghaju po Nowy Jork.