 |
|
|
|||||
A quarter of those under 30 say theyve used AI for companionship, according to Associated Press-NORC polling. The one thing missing? Somewhere to take your AI Valentine on a date. Ahead of Valentines Day, EVA AI decided to solve that problem. The appwhere users can text or, more recently, video chat with AI datesorganized a pop-up social experiment at Same Same Wine Bar in Manhattan this week. Over February 11 and 12, the dimly lit space was filled with patrons seated at tables for one, their AI companions propped up on phone stands. Attendees could bring their own existing AI partners or speed date from a selection of 100 characters. This is another step in the companys long-term strategy to push the boundaries of interaction with AI and make AI relationships a new normal, EVA AI said in a press invite to the event, Wired reports. The platform connects users with a virtual partner who listens, supports all your desires and is always in touch with you, its website reads. It promises that you can build relationships and intimacy privately on your terms. [Photo: EVA AI] While this may sound like the future the sci-fi movie Her was warning about back in 2013, organizers say the goal is not to replace human relationships. Instead, they aim to normalize AI companionship for those already interested in it, or curious about trying it. Surveys suggest younger adults are increasingly open to the idea. A nationally representative survey of 1,060 teens ages 13 to 17 found that 72% have used AI companions at least once, and more than half qualify as regular users in 2025. Of those surveyed, 13% say they use them daily. More broadly, people are turning to AI platforms for romantic connection. Indiana Universitys Kinsey Institute, a leading sex research center, found that 16 percent of participants were using AI as a romantic partner in its Singles in America survey published last year. That shift comes as singles grow increasingly disillusioned with dating other humans. Amid an era of swipe fatigue and dating app burnout, AI is playing a growing role in peoples dating lives. Just over a quarter of singles already use AI wingmen to enhance their dating prospectsup 333% from 2024, according to a recent study. Not everyone would feel comfortable sitting across from an AI companion in a crowded bar, surrounded by human couples. But the experiment underscores how quickly AI is seeping into everyday life. If youre single this Valentines Day, theres always Chad the AI chatbot waiting for the chance to sweep you off your feet.
Category:
E-Commerce
Could a film industry entirely crafted from AI ever exist? Social media is abuzz with movie scenes made with Seedance 2.0, the latest tech in AI video generation, including everything from a fight scene between Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise to an alternate ending for The Lord of the Rings. The tech’s proponents predict AI is the future of moviesbut an actual brain behind Hollywood hits, Ben Affleck, is trending for his counterargument: AI may be a powerful tool, but its nothing without human creativity. Affleck recently shared his take on AI-generated writing in an appearance on a podcast. As an Oscar-winning screenwriter himself for Good Will Hunting (not to mention an acclaimed actor, director, and producer), Affleck knows a thing or two about the movie business, and he summed up AI-generated creative writing in one word: shitty.” By its nature, it goes to the mean, to the average,” he said on a January episode of The Joe Rogan Experience. “And its not reliable. I mean, I cant even stand to see what it writes.” I actually dont think its very likely that its going to be able to write anything meaningful or, and in particular, that its going to be making movies from whole cloth, Affleck said. He predicted instead that for filmmaking, AI is gonna be a tool, just like visual effects. As a guy who works in tech, is building with AI, and writes a weekly newsletter on the topic, I can't explain as well as Ben Affleck.How is that possible? pic.twitter.com/Gj6dNwaDgj— Katyayani Shukla (@aibytekat) February 12, 2026 But if Affleck is right, then why are artists of all kinds being fed the narrative that AI will be stealing their jobs? Fearmongering from the AI industry is to blame, he claims. Theres a lot more fear, because we have this sense, this existential dread: Its gonna wipe everything out! Affleck explained on the podcast. “But that actually runs counter, in my view, to what history seems to show, which is, A, adoption is slow. Its incremental.” I think a lot of that rhetoric comes from people who are trying to justify valuations around companies, where they go, Were gonna change everything! In two years, theres gonna be no more work!” he continued. “Well, the reason theyre saying that is because they need to ascribe a valuation for investment that can warrant the cap expend theyre gonna make on these data centers. (Affleck’s comments come as Big Tech spending on AI data centers has swelled in the last year.) Afflecks take went viral again this week, thanks to a post on X, from a self-described “guy who works in tech” who is “building with AI and writes a weekly newsletter on the topic”which joked that Affleck could explain AIs applications better than industry experts. Affleck concluded that in filmmaking, LLMs will likely “be good at filling in all the places that are expensive and burdensome,” but that “its always gonna rely fundamentally on the human artistic aspects of it.” Now, some on social media are pointing out that in a sense, Afflecks point proves itself: The human touch of a creative writer led to clear, digestible communication. Funny how that works.
Category:
E-Commerce
Starbucks competitor Dutch Bros saw its stock price rise in premarket trading on Friday after the coffee chain posted double-digit revenue growth in its most recent quarter. However, shares were flat as of late morning, with the stock (NYSE: BROS) hovering at just over $50 a share. Perhaps even more important for the stockand for those investors who are long on itis the coffee chains announcement that it is on track to nearly double its store footprint by 2029. Heres what you need to know. Dutch Bros has a record Q4 2025 Dutch Bros was founded in 1992, but its only in recent years that the coffee chain started to become a household name, thanks to its ever-expanding footprint. And while the chain isnt yet as well known as Starbucks, the company is increasingly looking like a significant threat to the Seattle coffee giant. Yesterday, Dutch Bros reported its fourth-quarter fiscal 2025 results, showing impressive gains in nearly every key metric, including: Total revenue: $443.6 million (up 29.4% year over year) Net income: $29.2 million (versus $6.4 million in the same quarter a year earlier) Systemwide same shop sales: up 7.7% Adjusted EBITDA: $72.6 million (up 48.8%) The company also issued strong guidance in many metrics for its current fiscal year 2026, including projected total revenue of between approximately $2 billion and $2.03 billion, and same shop saels growth of 3% to 5%. But besides its financial numbers, Dutch Bros also revealed something else: that its aggressive store expansion plans are on track for 2029, and if it achieves the goals, the companys footprint could nearly double in the next three years. Dutch Bros plots new store opening for 2026 and beyond While same-store sales are increasing for Dutch Bros, one of the fastest ways for any chain to boost overall sales is to open more locations. And that is exactly what Dutch Bros has been doing. In its full-year fiscal 2025, which just ended, Dutch Bros said it opened 154 new stores across 22 states. That put its total number of locations at 1,136 stores in 25 states, as of December 31. And its aggressive rollout is continuing in 2026. In a supplemental earnings slide deck the company released, it revealed that it expects at least 181 new Dutch Bros stores to open in 2026. Those new openings are in service of the companys lofty 2029 goals. By that year, the company says it aims to have 2,029 stores across the United States. BROS stock rises today, but is still red for the year After announcing its record-breaking fiscal 2025 results, Dutch Bros stock jumped by nearly 4% in early-morning trading. However, as of the time of this writing, much of those gains have been given back. The early-morning stock price gain was no doubt welcome to investors. However, the company, which began trading on the New York Stock Exchange half a decade ago, still has a ways to go if it wants to regain its all-time highs. Since 2026 began, BROS stock has now declined by nearly 13%. Over the past year, BROS is down more than 36%. During those same periods, the NYSE Composite Index is up about 5.8% year to date, and over 15% over the past twelve months, according to Yahoo Finance data. Dutch Bros stock hit an all-time high of above $79 a year ago this month.
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||