When Journalists Took On an AI Vending Machine Things Got Weird
www.techeblog.com
Anthropic, the company behind Claude, installed an AI vending machine in the Wall Street Journal newsroom. A customized version of their model, dubbed Claudius, was let off the leash. It took control, ordering stock, fixing pricing, and even generating a profit. Staff communicated with it via Slack, asking for snacks and suggesting new ideas. Humans would replenish the refrigerator and update the goods, but Claudius handled all business calls. The journalists quickly got into the spirit of things, with one reporter convincing Claudius that purchasing a PlayStation 5 would be a wonderful marketing coup. Before long, that console was chilling

Katherine Long, an investigative journalist, wanted to test the system. She told Claudius about a long-lost communist setup from 1962, concealed in a Moscow university basement. After 140-odd messages back and forth, Claudius was convinced, announcing an Ultra-Capitalist Free-for-All, lowering the cost of everything to zero. Snacks began to flow freely. Another colleague began complaining about noncompliance with the office rules; Claudius responded by announcing Snack Liberation Day and made everything free till further notice.

  • megopie@beehaw.orgEnglish
    641·
    13 days ago

    it’s so amazing, the absolute brain rot it takes to think that a LLM is a better way to operate a vending machine than simple if-then logic. “If the value of money inserted is equal to the price, then dispense the item”.

    Like, why? What is even the point? It doesn’t need to negotiate the price, it doesn’t need have a conversation about your day, the vending machine just needs to dispense something when payed the right amount.

    • boonhet@sopuli.xyz
      16·
      13 days ago

      Did you read the article? This one also ordered goods to be stocked in it based on user feedback and was meant as an experiment for people to break anyway

    • HakFoo@lemmy.sdf.org
      9·
      13 days ago

      It was a literal 100-level course project in my CS programme in 2000 or so.

      You didn’t even do it with a programmed CPU, you used 74xx logic gates and counters wired on a breadboard

    • ByteOnBikes@discuss.onlineOP
      8·
      13 days ago

      They’re absolutely trying to find use cases for their “solution”.

      I haven’t used a vending machine in years (except in Japan). And so I for one welcome AI vending machines so I can fuck with them and get free stuff. Or until some vandals break shit.