Media Posts

On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 ditched in the Hudson River after striking a flock of geese. Within minutes, before any news helicopter arrived, a photo appeared on Twitter showing the plane floating in the river with passengers standing on the wings. Janis Krums had snapped it from a ferry rushing to help.¹

In 1926, radio was magic. Families gathered around wooden cabinets to hear voices transmitted through the air—news, music, drama, comedy. For the first time in human history, the same content could reach millions simultaneously. Broadcasting was born.

A photograph captures light. A video captures light over time, with sound. But experience is more than light and sound. You feel the sand between your toes, smell the ocean, sense the warmth of sun on skin, feel your heart race with excitement or calm with peace.

You're walking down an unfamiliar street. Arrows appear in your field of vision, guiding you to your destination. Restaurant ratings float above doorways. A friend's face is highlighted in a crowd with their name beside it. A translated menu appears when you glance at the specials board. All this without looking at your phone—the information is simply there, layered onto the world.

Before discussing AI companions, it is important to understand why people might want them.

In 1991, Natalie Cole performed a duet with her father Nat King Cole—who had died in 1965. Using studio technology, his voice was extracted from a 1951 recording and merged with hers. The result, "Unforgettable," won Record of the Year and Album of the Year.¹ Audiences wept.