By P. Ramakrishnan and Josh Condon
You Ask, AI Listens
ChatGPT and other large-language artificial-intelligence (AI) models remain a source of fascination due to the uncanny way they can mimic human speech, but data-savvy companies are already using AI to help shape the products you buy—not by talking, but by listening.
Consider every time you’ve tossed an annoyed @ on X (formerly Twitter) complaining about the concierge service at your vacation villa rental or griped to a chatbot about a confusing tech user interface. Ditto blowing up a sneaker brand’s comments section pleading for a new colourway or taking to a watch forum to debate the design merits of an overlooked vintage model. Each of these seemingly off-the-cuff interactions is, in fact, incredibly rich with data points—a trove of unvarnished opinions, desires, and ideas, proffered by engaged consumers who often believe they’re just talking amongst themselves.
But there’s likely an invisible observer: AI brands use the technology to trawl public content on Reddit, Instagram, X, Tripadvisor, Facebook—anywhere people express opinions, upload images or videos, or even just “like” or down-vote something someone else posted.
“Particularly for luxury, fashion, tech—those categories have very passionate, discerning fan bases in these niche parts of the internet,” says Chris Bingham, CTO of Brandwatch, a social-media suite in New York City that has worked with BMW, Unilever, and Carlsberg, among many others. “There’s this huge amount of information that’s available to brands to use for understanding how their own products are perceived, how their competitors’ [products are perceived], industry trends, what [customers] like, don’t like, et cetera,” he says, adding that it can be a replacement for, or complementary to, traditional market research, which tends to be expensive and slow. “This way, you’re tapping organically into what people are already talking about—they’re probably already answering the questions you would have asked them.”
The ability to turn the internet into a massive, ad hoc focus group has been around for a while (if rarely discussed by the brands that employ it) but is currently benefitting from the same technological leap that transformed ChatGPT, Midjourney, and others into household names. The key, now, is AI’s ability to deduce sentiment, according to Grant Hartanov, associate vice president of CXM Best Practices Group at Sprinklr, a New York firm that provides AI insights for clients including Prada and Lenovo. “The more robust a listening infrastructure is, the better you can identify themes and trends, but there’s also the ability to leverage AI to create visual insights,” he says. “That could be a really interesting way for a sneaker designer to say, ‘Hey, we’re seeing people gravitate towards this colour,’ but more importantly: How are people perceiving the colour?” In other words, AI can not only notice that people are posting or reacting to pictures with the colour green, but also deduce how people feel about the shade.
“With better AI, you’re able to ask more specific questions and get more targeted, relevant insights,” Bingham says. But, he notes, “the human still has an extremely important job.” When it comes to “interesting, high-value products” like those covered by Robb Report, he says, “there’s some discernment, there’s some taste, there’s some innovation—that’s powered by people, that doesn’t just come out of the algorithm.”
Turntable
Bang & Olufsen
Beosystem 72-23 Nordic Dawn Limited Edition
Groovy, baby, the 1970s are back! In March 2023, a BBC headline went viral for reporting that vinyl records outsold CDs for the first time in decades. For a generation of a certain vintage, nothing compares to the audible pleasure of vinyl. Well, a daring Danish brand heard the siren call and released a limited-edition vinyl turntable and stereo speakers to meet our needs: the Beosystem 72-23.
“As part of the Recreated Classics Initiative, the Beosystem 72-23 Nordic Dawn Limited Edition symbolises a new beginning for a future where audio products are designed to last, where luxury is expert craftsmanship that expands beyond the first life cycle, and where connectivity can be timeless,” says Mads Kogsgaard Hansen, head of product circularity at Bang & Olufsen.
As expected from the renowned brand, it’s a visual delight as much as audible; the Beogram 4000C turntable, created in warm colours with a birchwood panel and Nordic aesthetics, is accompanied by a matching pair of Beolab 28 speakers. A Beoremote Halo remote control allows for seamless operation of the system. Each unit comes with a walnut presentation box, which doubles as a storage cabinet for your record collection—it’s a nostalgic touch of the past that warms our heart, while the handy wireless charging station looks into the future.
Projector
Samsung
The Freestyle 2nd Generation
Forget the ancient projector you’re used to from your school days, when the substitute teacher wheeled in a contraption with spotty picture and unsynchronised sound to enlighten how plants photosynthesise. Samsung’s second-generation Freestyle projector, with its phenomenal sound and colour, has us pelted in shades of wow.
At home, you can watch a blockbuster film as Spielberg intended, on the big screen—even if the screen happens to be your ceiling! The Freestyle can project visuals with such precision that lying on your bed watching all the stars in the cosmos feels close to the real thing—this technological marvel can (almost) transport you to other worlds.
In fact, on trial, we saw Lawrence of Arabia’s widescreen magic on a spotless wall with 360-degree surround sound in breathtaking technicolour. Samsung’s Smart Edge Blending technology permits two devices to merge and project a wide cinematic screen, providing a panoramic viewing experience.
Compact, ultra-portable, and lightweight, the new Freestyle does so much more than just allow you to binge-watch Netflix shows and nature documentaries in high definition—gamers can also connect their controllers to the Gaming Hub to access Xbox titles without a console, among other cloud-based gaming streaming partners. For gadget geeks, The Freestyle is a game-changer.
Camera Lens
Leica
Noctilux-M 50mm F/0.95 ASPH “Titan”
As the professional photographer’s OG camera brand of choice, Leica’s first Noctilux lens debuted in 1966, but in the concentric circles of renowned cameramen the world over, the brand resonates to this day, and Leica’s new limited-edition “Titan” model of its Noctilux-M range is assuredly magnificent.
Its moniker, “Titan,” is apt—all the visible components are made of solid titanium, a lightweight yet sturdy metal that marries beauty with practicality, and matches well with Leica camera bodies. At an open aperture, the Noctilux-M lens offers an extremely shallow depth of field, delivering a distinctive bokeh effect and image aesthetics that are unmistakably Leica.
Challenging lighting conditions are easily surmounted—the Noctilux-M is calibrated to tease out fine details and high contrast, promising exceptional imaging performance. If there can be such a thing as a legacy lens, then this is it, as each of the previous Noctilux generations was the best of its era, a sign of a gadget for all time. However, there’s the matter of getting your hands on one: there are only 100 pieces available globally, each engraved with a limited-edition serial number, with an appropriately high price tag.
Wireless Earbuds
Devialet
Gemini II
When it comes to wireless earbuds, one is just begging to be lost, isn’t it? Despite the proliferation of brands and styles promising ease and otherworldly audible dimensions, we’re finally convinced we’ve found a pair that has sound appeal. Ergonomic design, superb connectivity, and blissful noise cancellation are joyfully married in Devialet’s Gemini II, the sequel we didn’t know we wanted until we got it in hand and shoved in ear.
According to the sound engineers, it has taken nearly two decades of R&D to deliver the latest gadget. Among the “suite” of enhanced features is the trademarked Devialet Adaptive Noise Cancellation, and the resulting sound quality is expectedly first-class. “We have condensed 15 years of expertise in acoustic research and development into Devialet Gemini II to deliver an even bigger sound experience in our smallest package yet,” says Devialet CEO Franck Lebouchard. “Driven by our vision to continually break boundaries in audio design, Devialet Gemini II’s new design offers a universal luxury listening experience thanks to improved ergonomics that lets listeners experience industry-leading proprietary technologies without feeling the earbuds in place. On-the-go audio has never felt better.”
With the Gemini II wireless earbuds in place, they adjust with surprising symmetry—you can knock your head around and they don’t pop out at every move, which make them perfect for runners. Plus, the improved battery life is a huge perk.
Speakers
KEF
LS60 Wireless
The bane of interior designers is tangled wires and the constant conundrum of hiding them from sight, especially if a chic room is about to be photographed, but KEF has put forth an aesthetic home solution with stellar audio quality to boot.
KEF introduces its very first wireless floor-standing speaker system to bring high-fidelity sound into your home and engulf your senses in an authentic, immersive experience. What we particularly love about this model is that it’s got the fingerprints of Hong Kong-based designer Michael Young all over it.
Young collaborated with the KEF product design team to create the slim LS60 Wireless that can slide into any living space with ease, and the svelte silhouette is only possible because of the advanced technology contained within the sleek cabinet. KEF offers the audio powerhouse in three elegant matte finishes: titanium grey, mineral white, and royal blue. As to how the LS60 Wireless is able to project pristine audio, that’s the result of KEF engineers incorporating the latest developments in tech—such as a Uni-Q driver array, trademarked Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT), and Uni-Core bass drivers—into the pretty package to eradicate distortion and maximise bass performance. As the name suggests, the unit supports WiFi and Bluetooth wireless connection, as well as cable options. Everything is interlinked with the KEF Connect app to permit listeners to stream music and podcasts at the touch of a button.
