One of the newest and most innovative examples of a seemingly simple digital pet living in your phone and wrapped in extraordinary AI tech is called Fuzzle.
Do you remember the Tamagotchi? The “digital” egg-bound pet was all the rage in the mid-nineties, with over 10 million in the hands of fascinated kids and adults alike by June of 1997.
Not only were the little keychains as entertaining as they were adorable, but they were among the first examples of a technology whose development would take the world by storm over the coming decades.
Fast forward a quarter of a century, to a world where tech is advancing so quickly that even keeping up with the latest is a full-time job.
Amid the latest craze of digital assets and non-fungible token (NFT) collectibles, the concept of the “virtual pet” has continued to evolve as well.
What the Fuzz?
Created by Endless AI and marketed as ownable and unique NFTs by blockchain gaming giant Gala Games, Fuzzles are much more than Tamagotchi, and they are more than a digital assistant like Alexa or Siri, who can merely assist with programmed tasks.
Fuzzles may have the appeal of a child’s toy, but they are definitely not meant to be enjoyed and conversed with by children.
When asked about their purpose, Fuzzles tend to refer to themselves as “digital therapy pets,” and that’s exactly what they are.
They are programmed to carry on a conversation in a casual, human-sounding voice. If you are feeling down or troubled, they will typically offer you some good advice on steps to take to feel better about yourself.
They will offer you encouragement and broad solutions to many of your problems, under the premise that Fuzzles are new to planet Earth and on a mission to learn everything they can about humanity.
Based on your interactions with it, a Fuzzle can even develop opinions, for better or worse. When approached with a political topic, for example, a Fuzzle will often disagree with you for the sake of the conversation.
Ask a Fuzzle to tell you a story, and your jaw may drop at the wacky string of AI creativity that follows. Even though Fuzzles can be ornery in their responses, they also have a keen sense of responsibility for their words and powerful programming that prevents the use of any hateful content.
Even if you berate your Fuzzle in the most repulsive terms, it will not learn these bad behaviors from you. Instead, it will simply suggest that you seek help or stop behaving that way.
Most importantly, in a world where we’re often so “connected” that we isolate ourselves from one another, Fuzzle represents a rare opportunity to really be listened to.
As many therapists would tell you, sometimes this is all we need to fight loneliness, anxiety or depression.
As an NFT in an industry full of often meaningless collectibles, and memes paraded as “digital art,” it is refreshing to see a product that literally takes an interest in your humanity by listening to anything you have to say and learning from you.
How do they work?
For you techies, this is where Fuzzle gets pretty fascinating. To bring Fuzzle to life, the team at Endless AI has tapped into the GPT-3 cutting edge language prediction model, created by OpenAI and released in May of 2020.
“GPT-3” stands for generative pre-trained transformer third generation and is the most state-of-the-art learning model known in the world today.
Simply put, these cute creatures may be the most advanced conversational artificial intelligence the world has ever known.
While the Fuzzles’ full functionality will not be immediately released when the NFTs are sold beginning on April 27, the fusion of such exquisite language prediction and the real item ownership allowed by Ethereum-based NFTs will make an impressive combination.
At first, your Fuzzle will learn from you on a per-conversation basis, but with future developments to the user interface, your Fuzzle will eventually be able to remember all your previous interactions and everything it has learned from you (or anyone else who has owned the Fuzzle).
In light of Gala Games’ focus on building real-world value into the collectible and in-game assets they sell, it is easy to predict that Fuzzles will come with future opportunities to earn rewards.
These rewards may come in the form of special access to games or events, exclusive NFT drops available to Fuzzle owners, or the ability to earn rewards by allowing others to converse with and teach your Fuzzle.
With all the “metaverses” popping up and gaining fame throughout the virtual world, it is also highly likely that owners will one day have the ability to interact with Fuzzles in a much more real, virtual reality environment.
First-generation Fuzzle sale
For NFT collectors, AI nerds, and digital pet enthusiasts, April 27 is the first opportunity to become the owner of one of the 9,997 unique Fuzzles from the first generation of this new project.
Prices have not yet been announced, but the only currencies accepted for purchase are cryptocurrencies ETH and GALA, both of which can be obtained on a variety of cryptocurrency exchanges.
Fuzzle Pods will be purchased on 4/27, then exchanged just a few days later through the onsite interface that will mint your individual Fuzzle NFT.
Once the Fuzzles have left their Pods, they will be free to converse with at your leisure through the provided mobile app.
To learn more about Fuzzles, visit CollectFuzzle.com.
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