Box founder Aaron Levie got us talking this week with a social media post suggesting that tech CEOs are “uniquely prone to AI psychosis.”

On the latest episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Kirsten Korosec, Sean O’Kane, and I did our best to unpack Levie’s comment. For one thing, we noted that he isn’t disavowing AI tools, merely insisting that CEOs need to actually use those tools to understand them.

That’s a relatively gentle note of skepticism compared to other signs of a broader backlash, whether you look at graduating college students booing any mention of AI, the bad vibes around tech industry layoffs, or the apparent surge of installs at search engine DuckDuckGo after Google’s announcement that it’s bringing more AI to the search experience.

Kirsten suggested that Google faces a dilemma where it’s “chasing that thing it feels like it has to do to keep up, but it’s messing with the thing that people attach to the brand the most, and it’s not improving it.” More broadly, she wondered “if this anti-AI moment is an opportunity for startups or other areas of business.”

Keep reading for a preview of our conversations, edited for length and clarity.

Anthony Ha: AI is incredibly polarizing. And that’s part of what’s challenging to talk about, you can feel a little crazy because [simultaneously,] everybody’s using it and everybody loves it, but also no one’s using it and everybody hates it at the same time. There are large contingents for whom both of those things are true. 

On the user side, one thing that was very striking, we [already] talked about Google’s announcements about search and how AI is becoming a bigger part of search — although it’s been interesting to see how Google has tried to walk that back a little bit, or at least add some nuance in terms of, if you want that 10 blue links experience, there are still ways you can get it. It’s not going away entirely.

But I think a lot of people are not excited about the direction Google is going in. And so you see, for example, that DuckDuckGo said installs are up 30%, which is a huge leap. Now, of course, DuckDuckGo is a much, much smaller product than Google. I don’t think Google is in any immediate trouble, but I think that’s a sign that there is a very significant audience that does not like the current AI direction.

Sean O’Kane: I will say one thing that I keep looking for when I look at all of these leading AI labs or tech companies that are really pushing AI features and products — to me, there seems to just be this collapsing towards Anthropic’s approach, this idea of really trying to understand what it is you want to offer people and sticking to that.

And Google is one of the ones that I would say is actually still pushing the other direction. They’re trying to do a lot of different things, but they don’t do themselves any favors by being so vague about it.

What I mean by that is, when Google goes on stage at IO and talks about the way that it thinks it’s going to change search, so much of what they’re talking about, they’re talking about shopping or stuff that ends in a commercial transaction. And I think so much of what we think of Google as collectively, especially people who have been using it for two or three decades, is as an information retrieval system. 

Google can struggle with that a lot, where they get reactive fears of how they may be damaging the information retrieval side of things, and their response is, “Yeah, but that’ll still be there. Let’s focus on how it’s going to help you book a flight or something like that.” 

And then they also go off and sort of shoot themselves in the foot by releasing —  it must be very challenging to stress test these systems, but they go out and they release this stuff and they’re running into the same problems they’ve run into for years.

Kirsten Korosec: We had a great article that just published about how Google doesn’t know how to spell its own name. If you ask it, “How many P’s are in Google?” it says two. 

It’s this tension between: Google is chasing that thing it feels like it has to do to keep up, but it’s messing with the thing that people attach to the brand the most, and it’s not improving it.

What I’m wondering is, we’ve already seen some early evidence of people’s fingers doing the voting or walking for them, by literally going to another service. But I wonder if there are opportunities for other startups out there or culturally speaking, if this anti-AI moment is an opportunity for startups or other areas of business that we haven’t really thought about.

Anthony: Absolutely. Again, it’s probably a challenge because there is such a range of opinions. And if you build something that’s tailored for a group that’s skeptical [of] AI, then you’re probably going to alienate other users who are much more evangelistic or gung-ho about it. But I think that’s just the moment we’re living in.

And you can see in how DuckDuckGo is promoting itself, that they’re very much emphasizing this idea of being anti-AI, which I find very striking because I’ve mentioned before, [I’ve been] moving away from Google myself, trying out other search engines. And I would say that a year ago, when I started that exploration, even these alternative search engines were still trying to experiment with AI features, emphasizing AI to some degree because they also thought they had to do it.

And now I think they’re seeing that there is actually a lane to be like, “No, we just were not interested in that stuff at all. Or inasmuch as we’re doing it, we’re very much putting it in a separate sandbox that’s not going to affect your core search experience.”

Kirsten: I think we unfairly sometimes categorize all the tech CEOs as force-feeding people AI. And there’s at least one tech CEO who has come out and said, “I think that there’s a little bit of psychosis among other tech CEOs around AI.” 

I’m talking about Box founder Aaron Levie, who has come to Disrupt many times and is a friend of TechCrunch for sure. He made these comments about how CEOs are uniquely prone to AI psychosis because they’re sufficiently, and I’m reading this, “distant from the last mile of work that still has to happen to generate most value with AI.” 

I thought that was really interesting. And I’m wondering if there are other CEOs out there who agree with it. I also wonder, as part of that shift of thinking about what has to happen to generate the most value, if they’re also thinking about how their workforce is changing, which is our other topic today — [not] just about the AI divide, it’s also how AI is changing work. And we’ve seen, certainly, some of the bad news side of that, and that is a lot of layoffs.

But I think also, we’re seeing big changes in how people work. I’m wondering in the areas that you two cover, if you’re seeing evidence of that, because I don’t think it’s just in the quote unquote “AI startup sector” or the big tech companies.

Sean: As far as the companies that I cover, a lot of them tend to be working on, if not physical transportation, then stuff adjacent to it. And it’s seemed much slower there than it is, unsurprisingly, on the software side of things. 

We’re starting to see some of that changing. We’ve talked on the show a little bit about Mind Robotics, which is the spin out from Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe. And, you know, there’s certainly more AI being applied to physical infrastructure and manufacturing and robotics and self-driving.

I think the software side is where it’s really changing things, where you have people whose job is just directly tied to producing code.

Anthony: Part of the question, I think, [involves] both AI adoption in companies and then AI-driven layoffs — to what extent are they top down or bottom up? 

Because I think a lot of other transformations in the workforce in the last couple of decades have at least been, to some extent, bottom up: These are tools that people actually like to use, they bring them in, and then at a certain point, executives and IT managers accept that.

There is some sense that a lot of the [belief that there are going to be these] AI productivity gains seems to be embraced by the executives — or, if you’re at a startup, probably by the VCs who are funding you — who love this dream that you can have just a tiny team and be as effective as a company with a much larger team.

And I don’t think that that is necessarily impossible, but I think that Aaron’s point is essentially that if you’re not really touching any of the end work, how would you know? He’s also not somebody who’s saying we should just throw out all the AI tools, but he’s saying that you actually have to use these tools and understand what they’re doing. You can’t just look at a slide and be like, “Yes, incredible efficiency, let’s go.”

Kirsten: Well, I think there’s a lot of real evidence out there that these companies are using these tools, and it is directly affecting workers in the form of layoffs, and also the way that they work. The two truths are accurate here.

At CNET, we’ve been testing smart thermostats for years, so it’s always a little surprising to hear, “What’s a smart thermostat?” But only a fraction of American households, around 17%, actually use smart thermostats. That’s too bad, because they’re one of my favorite smart home innovations, and offer handy advantages for almost everyone. 

So, what’s the difference, aside from flashy new touchscreen designs? I’ll take you through what’s new with these thermostats and how your heating and cooling will never be the same (neither will your energy bills).

Scheduled heating and cooling

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Both smart and traditional thermostats have programmable settings, letting you set temperature thresholds for specific hours and specific days of the week, and changing them as seasons change. The biggest difference is that smart thermostats make this much easier.

With old programmable thermostats, you’re mostly stuck doing programming with the thermostats’ manual controls. Smart thermostats allow you to set schedules from the app, no matter where you are, and you can usually save and switch between schedules on the fly, making the process significantly smoother.

Read more: Don’t Put Your Thermostat In These Places

Costs 

You can find a standard programmable thermostat without any bells and whistles for under $20 from brands like Honeywell Home (although those with fancy touchscreens will cost more), so they’re an easy way to save money if you need a replacement. Smart thermostats, with all their added features, cost significantly more. Amazon has one of the cheapest for under $100, but for something like Nest’s 4th-gen Learning Thermostat, you’ll have to pay close to $300.

Energy savings

Programmable thermostats will save you money, as long as you stay within strict temperature settings at certain times of day and night. Smart thermostats don’t necessarily save more, but they make saving money so much easier that houses tend to save more as a result, since very few users have time to constantly adjust a standard thermostat for maximum savings.

With settings like eco modes and monthly reports on energy savings, smart thermostats tend to save the average household significant amounts of money. Google Nest studies have estimated the average user saves around 15% on energy bills annually, while Ecobee says users can save up to 26% at the high end. That’s easily enough to cover the initial costs of a smart thermostat in a year or two.

Remote operation

A regular thermostat doesn’t have app connections and will, at most, have a remote control you can use from across the house. Smart thermostats, meanwhile, have Wi-Fi connections and apps. That means that as long as you have your phone and a connection, you can make thermostat changes.

For some people, this is an important feature — they can adjust the temperature while on vacation or if they forget while away from home. Others are fine making changes only when they’re at home.

Automatic learning and adjusting

A regular thermostat will heat or cool your home exactly when and how you tell it to. So will a smart thermostat — unless you enable its smarter features. Smart thermostats include learning algorithms and sensors that study activity in the house, like when people get up in the morning and start moving around.

With basic data like this, smart thermostats can start making adjustments about when to raise the heat or start cooling off, and when to hold back because there’s no one at home. Essentially, they can schedule themselves and respond to significant changes in habits.

Also, many new smart thermostats come with satellite sensors that you can place in specific rooms that traditional thermostats may not be able to “read” very well, increasing their temp-sensing accuracy. 

Energy savings

Programmable thermostats will save you money, as long as you stay within strict temperature settings at certain times of day and night. Smart thermostats don’t necessarily save more, but they make saving money so much easier that houses tend to save more as a result, since very few users have time to constantly adjust a standard thermostat for maximum savings.

With settings like eco modes and monthly reports on energy savings, smart thermostats tend to save the average household significant amounts of money. Google Nest studies have estimated the average user saves around 15% on energy bills annually, while Ecobee says users can save up to 26% at the high end. That’s easily enough to cover the initial costs of a smart thermostat in a year or two.

Installation

Both smart and standard thermostats are installed the same way — by connecting various wires to the thermostat’s base plate. Both offer professional installation services as well, so there’s not much difference here.

The biggest difference is that smart thermostats won’t work as well with every home system. For example, smart thermostats won’t make a huge difference if you use radiant floor heating as your primary heat source (it’s slower to respond and doesn’t affect thermostat sensors the same way), so you may as well save money with a simpler thermostat.

Connections to other devices

Smart thermostats can often connect to other smart home technology, including security hubs and customized triggers, through platforms like IFTTT or Controller for HomeKit. Since smart thermostats tend to have extra sensors for humidity or air quality, they can trigger things like air purifiers, fans, dehumidifiers and more. Some smart thermostats even come with built-in voice assistants, while most at least support voice assistant control through Alexa, Google’s voice assistant and more.

Regular thermostats don’t have any of these connections, so you can’t usually connect them to home routines or set temperature triggers for other devices.

Bottom line

Smart thermostats make saving money much easier than regular thermostats and come with plenty of extra bells and whistles, including opportunities to connect them to voice assistants and other smart home devices. They’re also sleek, smart devices that display personalized info about your home and weather, while learning your habits and automatically adjusting heating or cooling — no micromanagement needed. Plus, unlike regular thermostats, you can control them from anywhere.

In return, the big drawback of smart thermostats is that they cost a whole lot more than a regular thermostat replacement would, although they do tend to pay for themselves within a year or two. However, not everyone is comfortable using an app for scheduling or letting a smart thermostat make changes itself, so some users may find themselves uncomfortable with the change.

Ready to learn even more? See our guide on the best settings to use on your smart thermostat for the season, the easiest steps to save on heating and cooling bills, and the best smart home devices overall. 

Evan Monsma started with a viewfinder built for a professional broadcast camera. Inside sat a small monochrome CRT, the kind camera operators once relied on for precise framing during live shoots. He wanted that same screen to work on its own, showing ordinary video signals without the rest of the camera attached.

The original equipment came with an eight-pin connection that not only provided power but also transported video and control signals back and forth between the viewfinder and camera body. There wasn’t a publicly available pinout, so Monsma decided to get his hands dirty and open it up to see what was inside. He used a multimeter to map out each and every wire, and voilà! He discovered that a yellow conductor supplied around 12 volts of power, the black and red wires served as ground, and the video signal was transmitted via a grey line, and it turned out that just three connections were sufficient to operate the tube.

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He cut the factory wire and built a simple adapter, allowing the viewfinder to be powered by a wall power supply or a suitable battery via a regular DC barrel socket. He also installed an RCA jack to accept composite video; both connectors are now mounted on the rear of the enclosure, securely fastened using sticky adhesive and heat-shrink tubing to prevent them from coming away during regular operation. He cleaned up the old harness by attaching heat-shrink coverings to the unwanted wires and storing them out of sight.

The focus-peaking switch still works flawlessly, and you can adjust the brightness and contrast to achieve the ideal image. Monsmas also tested the side panel using an HDMI-to-composite converter and was pleased to note that even with the contrast turned down, text remained visible, and the dark part of the movie had more information than you’d see on many laptops under similar settings.

A wooden base is what gives the finished piece its proper shape. Monsma carved several channels into scrap wood to hide the cables underneath, painted the screw locations, and then secured the metal viewfinder body to the board with little machine screws. A application of Danish oil on the base and a fresh coat of white paint on the housing transformed it from a Frankenstein’s monster to something that looked like it belonged there.

The original sunshade now flips over to provide a flat surface on top of which you can place another small gadget. You can have the viewfinder up and running in seconds; when the tube warms up, the image appears and remains solid. Monsma ran games via it and watched a variety of video clips; the analog approach produced none of the scaling artifacts commonly seen on low-cost contemporary displays.

The finished product takes up very little desk space while delivering a respectable image. Its analog input is compatible with antique cameras, game consoles, and any device that can output composite video, and a cheap converter makes it simple to connect to current sources. The hardwood mount keeps everything organized and the unit rock sturdy. The controls continue to respond as expected.
[Source]

Apple’s home hardware is about to get a shake-up this fall. While the Apple TV gets a bit of a performance boost, the HomePod mini will get a bunch more Siri functionality.

Apple has long been rumored to be working on a new HomeHub, but other household tech will get updates soon. That includes the Apple TV and the HomePod mini.

According to Mark Gurman’s “Power On” newsletter for Bloomberg on Sunday, Apple has sat on new hardware for the two models for months. Indeed, they’re already being actively used by Apple employees at Apple Park.

The refreshed hardware has been held back from launch because of software. Apple apparently wants to ship them alongside the long-awaited revamp of Siri and new Apple Intelligence features, making them destined for a fall launch.

That said, the HomePod mini is suffering from limited availability, both online and at retail.

As for what’s changing, the Apple TV won’t get much of an update. A chip upgrade is almost certain, possibly with a slightly improved remote, but the Apple TV enclosure won’t change.

The HomePod mini, meanwhile, will go through a similar internally-facing glow-up. Outside, it will look pretty identical to the current spherical model, but the S5 chip will be updated to something much newer.

While they will chiefly be spec-bump updates, the changes should also allow the models to work with new Apple Intelligence and Siri features.

Being able to cook a main and a side at the same time in one appliance – and have them both hit the table together, without one going cold while the other catches up – feels like an obvious idea, but most kitchens still can’t pull it off.

Well, the Ninja Foodi FlexDrawer looks to change that, and it’s currently down from £269.99 to £196.99 at Amazon, a saving of £73 that makes it the cheapest it has been since launch.