Facebook showed off some nutty new tech this week at its annual developer conference, including social VR experiences, skin-based interfaces, and augmented reality markup for the real world. Some of these ideas are here already, and some are years away. Taken together, they show that Facebook is thinking about ways to squeeze its software into more parts of your life—for better and for worse. Michael and David are joined this week by WIRED writer and editor Cade Metz, who attended F8. The team discusses the pitfalls of the AR tech, the likelihood of AI making an impact anytime soon, and why we all keep getting played by Facebook’s marketing department.
Some links: See all of our F8 coverage. David wrote about Messenger becoming Facebook’s “everything app.” Cade wrote about the pitfalls of AR. Brian Barrett wrote about how we’ll navigate a world viewed exclusively through our phones. Recommendations this week: TripCase, V-Moda Crossfade 2 Wireless headphones, the documentary on AlphaGo. Also, be sure to revisit Cade’s series (and magazine cover story) about Google’s Go-playing AI.
Send the hosts feedback on their personal Twitter feeds. Cade “Chad” Metz is @cademetz, David Pierce is @pierce, and Michael Calore is @snackfight. Bling the main hotline at @GadgetLab.
