[As some readers will know, I’m interested in and collect clocks, and have pointed out that they often provide social cues that can evoke medium-as-social-actor presence (this is especially true of spring- and weight-driven antique mechanical clocks that have pendulums and tick and chime). The story below from DesignTAXI describes an unusual new feature in the Loftie digital alarm clock that produces an AI-generated human voice reading a personalized bedtime story. Lifewire’s coverage adds this:

“This is being advertised for bedtime stories but could be used at any time by anyone, young or old. … [The voices] actually sound real and a far cry from Alexa and Siri’s robotic drawl. Loftie gives examples as to the types of stories available, and, well, it seems fairly infinite. The company details one story in which a child becomes the writing partner of film director Ryan Coogler and another in which Ken is missing, and Barbie must find him. There’s also one about tigers in space re-enacting Pride and Prejudice. Of course, the plotlines are only as crazy as you make them. After all, this is an AI product.“

DesignTAXI has more images, Lifewire has a very short video, and the Loftie website features the audio samples and more information. (Note that this is not an endorsement of the product, and that the Loftie website seems to hide the fact that there’s an additional, presumably annual, $49 membership fee for continued access to the story-generating feature).  –Matthew]

This Alarm Clock Reads You A Personalized AI Bedtime Story To Lull You To Sleep

By Nicole Rodrigues
August 2, 2023

You might now be at an age were having your parents sit at the edge of your bed to tell you a story could be considered a little unorthodox, but why not have an alarm clock do it for you instead?

Wellness company Loftie is introducing an artificially intelligent clock that can not only wake you up in the morning but also put you to bed at night. Sure, you could ask Alexa or Google Home to read you a story, but with Loftie’s new ‘Magic Storymaker’ feature, you can be the author of your own nighttime adventures.

Want to sail away on a giant cloud or listen to tales about outlaws of the Wild West? Whatever you want, all you need to do is answer a few questions on Loftie’s site so that the AI gets to understand who you are and what you like. From there, it will write you a story based on the characters and plotlines that you desire.

If you want some self-help or guidance as you drift away, you can also input some details about your life, and it will craft you a reading on your horoscope (with added data from NASA) or even dream up a tale about your past life.

Adding to that is the fact that the voices included sound pretty realistic; Loftie supposedly doesn’t harbor the same robotic cadence as Siri or Alexa are known to have. Loftie’s version sounds pretty much like a real person. You can decide whether that comforts you or makes you feel like you’re now taking a trip down an uncanny valley by listening to the samples here.

Other features on the clock include guided meditation, breathing exercises, different types of white noise, and a two-phase alarm featuring soft tones to wake you up naturally.

The Loftie Clock is now available on its website for US$150, and the Magic Storymaker feature comes with the device.