ChatGPT Has Been Given a Face And It’s Super Weird
A company that makes spatial video devices has given a face to ChatGPT so the user can feel more like they’re speaking with a person.
The bizarre contraption can even take on different characters. For instance, there is “Bro” who resembles a college friend you used to get wasted with. Then there is the well-heeled, slightly sinister “Luna” which, in the demo video, comforts the tester by saying, “Don’t worry, I’m not here to take over the world or anything like that.”
The spooky bit of equipment is called Wehead and made by a company called Zero Distance which describes the artificial intelligence-powered assistant as a “thought partner” that “asks guiding questions and pays attention to what you say.”
The Wehead GPT edition will set the user back $4,950 or it can be rented for $199 per month.
The device was originally a spatial video device that allowed 3D video calls. Think of it as Zoom on steroids, the aim was to give people more of a real-life feel when video conferencing. The idea was that remote people could physically appear in a meeting room or an office. Wehead has multiple screens, a camera, and a two-axis motor; the whole thing is about the same size as a human head.
“Wehead is an advanced robotics state-of-the-art technology available for consumers,” Ilia Sedoshkin, the founder of Zero Distance, told Interesting Engineering.
“The device is for tech enthusiasts who want to touch and experience a part of the future technology we are working on today and support the development of our full-size avatar system. We have started with Wehead seeing surprising transformations taking shape in the workplace in the Post-COVID19 world.
“We are going to raise funds for further development of the technology and to receive first feedback from like-minded people who are building the future with us. The big idea for the future is to bring to the market an affordable avatar system for spatial full-body presence in a remote location.”
However, the original vision has not worked out and instead Wehead is pivoting toward AI and specifically ChatGPT. The Silicon Valley firm is offering businesses and developers the chance to test out the product as “early adopters”, allowing them to have Wehead for three months at no cost.
