Marques Brownlee has once again criticized an AI product, this time the Rabbit R1, stating that the device is “barely reviewable.”This comes just days after he shared similar negative feedback in his review of the Humane AI Pin.
Marques Brownlee, also known as MKBHD, has faced backlash in recent weeks for his harsh critique of the Humane AI Pin. His comments sparked backlash on social media, with many users criticizing the tech YouTuber for potentially damaging the product with his review.
Despite the recent Humane AI Pin controversy, Brownlee has wasted no time in voicing his criticism of another portable AI product, the Rabit R1. He has deemed it as a product that is difficult to review, highlighting its flaws.
NEW VIDEO – Rabbit R1: Barely Reviewablehttps://t.co/CqwXs5m1IaThis is the pinnacle of a trend that’s been annoying for years: Delivering barely finished products to win a “race”and then continuing to build them after charging full price. Games, phones, cars, now AI in a box pic.twitter.com/WutKQeo2mp
— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) April 30, 2024
The Rabbit R1 is a compact AI companion that functions similarly to Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant. However, it offers additional features such as ordering from DoorDash, recognizing images, and controlling Spotify.
In his review, Brownlee promptly expressed his disapproval of multiple aspects of the R1, including its physical appearance and GUI design, as well as the packaging which only contained the R1 and a stand with no charging cable or instruction manual.
Despite admitting that the R1’s use of a Large Action Model AI is an innovative concept, he emphasized that Rabbit lacks sufficient training data to incorporate desired features for buyers.
The main point of Brownlee’s review was that the R1 needs more training data, which can only be obtained from users. However, in order for users to provide this data, they must first purchase the R1. This creates a problem because the R1 itself is lacking in features, resulting in a disappointing product for consumers.
According to Brownlee, many tech companies are developing their technology in a backwards manner. This results in them delivering unfinished products that are extremely difficult to review.
Brownlee drew parallels between this practice and a current trend in the gaming industry, where games are initially released in Early Access at full price despite lacking essential features and containing numerous bugs. It is often only after some time has passed that the complete version is eventually released, with added features and fixed bugs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddTV12hErTc
“According to Brownlee, the current trend of AI-based products is concerning as they often fail to live up to their promises and advertised features at the initial stage. Despite this, consumers are still charged the full price, which Brownlee finds absurd.”
Jesse Lyu, the founder and CEO of Rabbit, issued a response to Brownlee’s assessment of the R1. He recognized that the R1 is continuously refining itself by collecting more user data, and expressed his gratitude to MKBHD for the review. He also eagerly anticipated a future re-evaluation of the R1.
“According to Lyu, we will witness the speed of R1’s improvement and evolution. As a small team, we are striving to keep up with the rapid advancements of AI. The current state of AI requires extensive human supervision and fine-tuning. It is not possible to spend significant time perfecting features without conducting real user testing.”
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