Engadget Podcast: Allbirds goes from shoes to AI
TL;DR
So a shoe company turned into an AI company…. That’s it, that’s the joke. In this episode, Devindra chats with Engadget’s Daniel Cooper about Allbirds’ sudden transformation and what it says about the AI economy. Also, they chat about the Artemis II moon mission, Meta being warned about the dangers of facial recognition (again) and how teens think social media is really shaping them. Subscribe! iTunes Spotify Pocket Casts Stitcher Google Podcasts Topic Near-dead shoe company Allbirds is doing AI now – 1:47 Artemis II safely returns to Earth, did you know they had DSLRs and iPhones up there? – 15:57 Meta warned by dozens of civil rights organizations that facial recognition in its smart glasses will enable predators – 28:41 Social media isn’t bad for teens, say teens – 36:00 NAACP sues xAI over data center pollution – 44:30 Around Engadget – 50:28 Credits Hosts : Devindra Hardawar and Dan.
Nauti's Take
A shoe company rebranding as AI sounds absurd — but it is a symptom of the current pivot-to-everything climate. Sometimes these repositionings signal genuine transformation; often it is valuation arithmetic.
A red flag for investors and a useful case study in AI-washing for anyone tracking the broader AI economy.
Summary
So a shoe company turned into an AI company…. That’s it, that’s the joke.
In this episode, Devindra chats with Engadget’s Daniel Cooper about Allbirds’ sudden transformation and what it says about the AI economy. Also, they chat about the Artemis II moon mission, Meta being warned about the dangers of facial recognition (again) and how teens think social media is really shaping them.
Subscribe! iTunes Spotify Pocket Casts Stitcher Google Podcasts Topic Near-dead shoe company Allbirds is doing AI now – 1:47 Artemis II safely returns to Earth, did you know they had DSLRs and iPhones up there?
– 15:57 Meta warned by dozens of civil rights organizations that facial recognition in its smart glasses will enable predators – 28:41 Social media isn’t bad for teens, say teens – 36:00 NAACP sues xAI over data center pollution – 44:30 Around Engadget – 50:28 Credits Hosts : Devindra Hardawar and Dan
Sources