It’s a little too late to spook trick-or-treaters with ghastly remote greetings, but there are plenty of other reasons to consider installing a video doorbell. For starters, it’s incredibly affordable and easy to do so when you have devices like the new Ring Battery Doorbell sharply discounted. It’s down to $59.99 ($40 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target right now, matching its all-time low.

We haven’t tested the 2024 Ring Battery Doorbell yet, but it borrows a couple of nice features from the Battery Doorbell Plus, which is also on sale for a record low $99.99 ($50 off) at Amazon and our top pick for battery-powered doorbells. The not-so-plus model still features a 1080p camera, but now with a 1:1 aspect ratio and a 150-degree field-of-view that gives you more vertical visibility. That’s key for package detection — which will help in the coming holiday shopping season — but also nice for greater coverage to view small children or even spot the little critters who like gnawing on your doorstep florals.

It also has the same PIR motion detection sensor as the Plus, as well as color night vision. Unfortunately, you still can’t cold-swap its battery like you can on the more expensive model, but it’s said to last 23 percent longer than the last generation doorbell with an easier push-pin dismounting mechanism if you use the standard mount.

Meta is “working with the public sector to adopt Llama across the US government,” according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

The comment, made during his opening remarks for Meta’s Q3 earnings call on Wednesday, raises a lot of important questions: Exactly which parts of the government will use Meta’s AI models? What will the AI be used for? Will there be any kind of military-specific applications of Llama? Is Meta getting paid for any of this?

When I asked Meta to elaborate, spokesperson Faith Eischen told me via email that “we’ve partnered with the US State Department to see how Llama could help address different challenges — from expanding access to safe water and reliable electricity, to helping support small businesses.” She also said the company has “been in touch with the Department of Education to learn how Llama could help make the financial aid process more user friendly for students and are in discussions with others about how Llama could be utilized to benefit the government.”

She added that there was “no payment involved” in these partnerships.

There’s also the cozying up to the government that Meta’s AI rivals are doing. OpenAI and Anthropic recently said they would share their models with the US AI Safety Institute ahead of time for safety screening. Google’s on-and-off-again relationship as an AI vendor for the Pentagon is well documented. In a recent blog post, OpenAI said its models were being used by DARPA⁠, the U.S. Agency for International Development⁠, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

While we wait to learn about Meta’s AI work with the government, Zuckerberg teased a bit more about the next Llama model on the Q3 earnings call. He said version four is training on “a cluster bigger than I’ve seen reported for anything else others are doing” and that he expects “new modalities,” “stronger reasoning,” and “much faster” performance when it debuts next year.

He acknowledged that Meta plans to continue spending more on AI in 2025, which is “maybe not want investors want to hear in the near term.” But he sees the upside as being worth it.

“I’m pretty amped about all the work we’re doing right now,” he said. “This may be the most dynamic moment I’ve seen in our industry, and I’m focused on making sure that we build some awesome things and make the most of the opportunities ahead.”

As a business, Meta is still continuing to grow. The company reported revenue of $40.5 billion for Q3, a 19-percent increase from a year ago, and $17.3 billion in profit. And it claims that 3.29 billion people use at least one of its apps each day, an increase of 5 percent from a year ago.

Update, October 30th: Added more details from Meta spokesperson.

In a groundbreaking moment for the art world, Sotheby’s will auction the first-ever artwork created by a humanoid robot. 

Ai-Da, the world’s first ultra-realistic robot artist, has produced a striking portrait of computing pioneer Alan Turing that will go under the hammer this month.

A fusion of art and artificial intelligence

Ai-Da, created in 2019 by British gallerist Aidan Meller, is a marvel of modern technology. Equipped with artificial intelligence algorithms, cameras in her eyes and bionic hands, she can paint autonomously without human intervention. Her latest work, “AI God,” is a 7.2-foot portrait of Alan Turing, estimated to fetch between $130,000 and $196,000.

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First humanoid robot artist standing in front of the art she created  (Ai-Da)

The significance of the subject

The choice of Alan Turing as the subject is particularly poignant. Turing, a foundational figure in modern computing, also expressed concerns about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence in the 1950s. Meller emphasized that the portrait’s muted tones and fragmented facial planes symbolize the challenges Turing foresaw in managing the rapid growth of AI.

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First humanoid robot artist  (Ai-Da)

Ai-Da’s artistic journey

The auction for Ai-Da’s portrait of Alan Turing is scheduled for Oct. 31 to Nov. 7. While this may be Ai-Da’s debut at Sotheby’s, it’s far from her first artistic endeavor. Since her first solo exhibition at the University of Oxford, her works have been featured in major exhibitions worldwide, including the Venice Biennale and the United Nations AI for Good Global Initiative. In 2022, she gained attention for painting portraits of music icons like Billie Eilish and Paul McCartney.

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The first humanoid robot artist created Paul McCartney art. (Ai-Da)

Blurring the lines of creativity

Ai-Da’s rise comes at a time when the boundaries between human creativity and machine-driven output are increasingly blurred. Her art raises fundamental questions about the nature of artistic expression. Can a machine truly create? What role does human intuition play in art, and how do AI-driven works fit into the larger conversation around creativity?

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First humanoid robot artist (Ai-Da)

Kurt’s key takeaways

As the art world eagerly anticipates the auction, it’s clear Ai-Da’s work represents more than just a novelty. It’s a pivotal moment that challenges our understanding of art, creativity and the role of AI in society. Whether this marks the beginning of a new era in art or a temporary fascination with AI, Ai-Da has undoubtedly secured her place as a trailblazer in the world of digital art. As we witness this intersection of artificial intelligence and creativity, we’re reminded that the future of art may be more diverse and technologically integrated than we ever imagined.

How do you feel about humanoid robots creating art? Do you see it as a threat to human creativity or an exciting new frontier? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact

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