Iterate Weekly - Issue 134
This week we're talking about self-checkout machines, AI agents, The Infininte Machine P1, Toys "R" Us is back, and Upload Season 3!
Welcome to issue 134 of Iterate Weekly!
Hope you’re all doing well. This is just a friendly reminder that you can always reply directly to these messages or leave a comment on the Substack post. Feedback is highly encouraged and I’m happy to answer any and all questions that come up.
Let’s jump into this week’s stories.
🤖 Tech
Self-checkout isn’t the convenience we were promised
Remember when self-checkout lanes at the supermarket felt like the epitome of our automated future? We’d never need to be stuck in line waiting for a human to scan our groceries again!
Well it turns out that these self-checkout lanes aren’t panning out like we’d hope. In fact, customers seem to really hate the self-checkout experience right now.
My personal preference is usually to purchase groceries online for delivery or curbside pickup. But when I do find myself in a physical store, I tend to gravitate to the self-checkout lane. In many instances, it seems like the better option. It’s pretty rare to find the normal lanes fully staffed with cashiers. It’s usually one lane with a human or the 4 or more self-checkout machines.
The biggest issues seem to stem from machines that accidentally record multiple scans of the same item. Or maybe you’re familiar with the dreaded “remove item from the bagging area” error. That one gets me all the time. It’s like you get penalized if you place the item in the wrong area or even if you scan it and hold onto it. It just feels like faulty technology that could really use an upgrade.
It feels like we are moving closer to Amazon’s vision of just walking out with the products you want without needing to wait in a line at all. Hopefully more Whole Foods locations around the US start offering this soon. In the meantime, the other feasible solution may just be to hire more human employees. It certainly doesn’t seem like the most high-tech move but anything is better than fighting with a self-checkout machine and waiting for a human to come silently scan their badge and walk away with no explanation of the error. Hmm, maybe that’s just me?
🎓 Education/Productivity/Work
Businesses are turning to AI agents
If we’re not dealing with wonky self-checkout machines, we’re dealing with semi-helpful AI agent chat bots.
Don’t know what I’m talking about? AI agents seem to be taking over the internet.
While we know that we’re just scratching the surface of what AI can do for us, companies are seeing the benefit of tasking AI agent bots with various tasks that they just don’t want to do themselves.
The beauty lies in the ability of the AI to integrate with whatever it is that the company needs it to do. It’s easy enough to ingest proprietary data into the machine learning or input APIs that would typically be the domain of human employees.
It may save time and money, but it’s obviously not a perfect solution yet. Here’s an interesting example that I came across. I won’t name specific company names here, but I was recently interacting with an AI agent customer service bot. There was a disclaimer that let you know it wasn’t an actual human on the other end of the chat but instead an AI who was well-versed with all information in the company data base.
Most of its answers were spot-on. But when I asked it something that it couldn’t quite answer, it suggested that I call a support number. After calling the number, I heard a spam recording telling me that I had won a trip. After a little more sleuthing I found that the number provided to me by the AI agent didn’t match the customer support number on the company’s website. Hmm, that’s a pretty big mistake for a bot like this to make.
All I’m saying is to be on the lookout for more of these AI agent bots all over the internet. But maybe don’t take everything they say as 100% true. But I suppose you could say that for human customer support now too couldn’t you?
♻️ Health/Environment/Electric Vehicles
The Infinite Machine P1 looks way cooler than the Cybertruck
Hot on the heels of my attendance at Micromobility America recently, I’m dialed-in to all the latest and greatest small, electric vehicle announcements.
The folks at Infinite Machine were also in attendance at the event and I’ve really been impressed by their new P1 electric scooter.
It’s styling certainly seems to take a page from Tesla’s infamous Cybertruck which coincidentally seems to finally have a legit launch date of sorts. The machine kinda falls in that gray area between scooter, moped, and full-on electric motorcycle. They claim you can skip the motorcycle license if you keep it under 35 mph but it is capable of 55 mph if you have your license and can obey all the proper rules of the road.
This thing just looks sweet no matter how you classify it. But it’s actually fairly practical with some clever built-in storage and the ability to snap on some accessories to the rear. You can quickly add a rear rack or trailer for hauling larger loads. And there is a great looking flat panel display that you’d normally see inside of a car.
It looks like they’ve already sold out of the first batch and who knows when they’ll get more in-stock to sell. But even if you can’t get your hands on one yourself, you can appreciate just how cool they look.
🛍 Grab Bag
Toys "R" Us is rising from the dead
Any kid who grew up in America in the 80s or 90s will tell you how much Toys “R” Us shaped their adolescence. It was more than just a toy store. It was a reward destination for good behavior or an annual stop around Christmas or birthdays.
After a long bankruptcy process that closed its final store in 2018, the iconic brand is rising back to life.
But this version will look a little bit different. Instead of being found in shopping centers they’re aiming to have a presence on cruise ships and airports. Sounds strange right?
However, it could be the right way to bring the brand back without oversaturating things. Strategic retail centers can capitalize on the nostalgia without requiring too much extra overhead and inventory needs.
Having a presence in vacation areas makes total sense. People are more likely to spend money when they’re on a cruise or in an airport. Travel and spending just sorta go together so why not attach your brand to that feeling. The original stores kinda had that special vibe for kids anyway, so why not try to rekindle it as these kids are now parents themselves?
I’m glad to see the brand still alive and will be sure to pop into the next retail store that opens up in my area. And I’ll do my best to explain to my daughter what made Toys “R” Us so special for me as a kid.
💬 Quote of the Week
"All wish to possess knowledge, but few, comparatively speaking, are willing to pay the price."
-Juvenal
📺 Content Review
Season 3 of Upload
If you’re not familiar with the show “Upload”, now is the time to jump on-board. Season 3 has kicked off and it can be streamed weekly on Amazon Prime video.
The premise is pretty simple. What would happen if there was a service to upload your brain to a virtual new world when you die? Basically, you could live on forever in this virtual world filled with bliss.
Well, it’s obviously a bit more complicated than that. The show is a comedy with dramatic elements and plenty of moral/tech conundrums. And if you’re a fan of my writing, I’m sure you’ll love all of the cool tech on display. Honestly, this show probably does the best job of deploying new technology that makes me excited about the future. The last episode had a projector that lived in the brim of a hat that could project a new face onto the wearer to trick face-recognition software. Pretty cool right?
I’m pleasantly surprised to see it back for Season 3 and will be following along closely this year.
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!
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