As you might have read in an earlier post: until now I am not very impressed by the application of AI and machine learning in everyday life. We always hear about the wonderful and amazing things that will soon be possible thanks to machine learning, but time and again – when faced with the way this is applied today – the predominant feeling that arises is disappointment.

Until today. Having witnessed a brand new applicaton, I might actually have to change my opninion on this topic, as I was faced with an example in everyday life that is already seamlessly blended in with life as we know it, and has not made one single incorrect ‘judgement’ in the task it is meant for. I ask you, dear reader: What other word than ‘intelligent’ can be used for that?

Here’s what it looks like. Apparently it is called ‘thermos’ and it is meant to store liquids in it. Nothing special about that, right? But hang on: the device automatically detects – my guess: by means of a number of built in sensors – whether the liquid is warm or cold and then keeps the warm liquids warm and the cold liquids cold… without any need for the user to enter any kind of data about the original state of the liquid! You might find it hard to believe, but the self-learning aspect of the built-in algorithms are so powerful that it made the correct decision already the first time I used it (admittedly, the odds were 50/50, so that could have been a lucky guess) – and as I mentioned before: it has not failed a single time ever since. Warm was always correctly interpreted as warm, cold was always correctly interpreted as cold. R-E-S-P-E-C-T for the team of engineers and developers behind that!

And another fun fact that will baffle you: until now I have not had to recharge it a single time. Which also brings me to the one tiny downside I feel forced to reveal: when the time to recharge it will finally be there, I will need to have another very close look , because I have simply not yet found out where exactly to put the charging cable. Slick design, but the damn thing seems to be ultra-hidden. Which will obviously also be a problem in terms of security, when software updates will be released, or when a new Android version needs to be installed.

For iPhone users: good news, there is an iOS version available as well.