Don't fall for the "AI" Wuffy puppy ad
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Wuffy as shown on the website (left) and the actual product (right). Images via www.wuffy-robot.shop and Claire Trageser/Axios
👋🏻 Claire here with a buyer's remorse tale for you. I'm ashamed to admit I let my son fall for a misleading ad before the holidays.
He saw an ad for a toy dog called Wuffy that appears to use AI animation to make it look like a real dog. Wuffy's website promises "AI-powered play" with a toy that "Walks, barks, sits & runs with lifelike motion."
- I didn't watch the ad myself and ordered one for Christmas.
Reality check: What arrived (well into January) was a basic plastic battery-powered dog that vibrated and barked a little. There's no indication that the toy uses AI. My son was very disappointed.
- He wasn't the only one. Lots of commenters on Reddit and other social media sites had similar experiences.
- I reached out to the email posted on the Wuffy website asking for comment and received an automatic response saying, "We're really sorry to hear that the items did not match your expectations."
Yes, but: My son got over it. While Wuffy doesn't act like a real dog, my son is an avid Axios reader and wants everyone to know he still loves Wuffy.
