Intelligent Machines Ep. 852: Gluten-Free Slop — CES AI Trends, Robot Toys, ‘Slop’ Debates, and Vibe Coding Games
Hosts: Leo Laporte (A), Jeff Jarvis (B), Paris Martineau (C)
Guest: Jason Hiner (D), Editor-in-Chief, The Deep View
Date: January 8, 2026
Overview
The first show of 2026 kicks off with a spirited discussion about the state of AI and intelligent devices, fresh from CES in Las Vegas. Leo Laporte welcomes back regulars Jeff Jarvis and Paris Martineau, alongside guest Jason Hiner from The Deep View, to break down notable AI trends, products, overhyped gadgets (aka “AI slop”), and cultural implications for both enterprise and consumers. The conversation ranges from Nvidia’s announcements and “physical AI” robots for kids, to AI “slop,” open-source models, the blurred lines between consumer and industry tech, the questionable rush into AI health advice, and even live coding a “throw tomatoes at Leo” browser game.
Major Discussion Points & Key Insights
1. CES 2026: AI’s Ubiquity and the Changing Face of Consumer Tech
[02:26–15:49]
Jason Hiner on the ground at CES:
- CES had ~140,000 attendees, 4,000 vendors – not smaller, but “shifted” away from pure consumer electronics towards enterprise and AI/robotics.
- “It felt like it had a few years where it was contracting...but the last three years, it’s become a lot more...especially triggered by AI...enterprise is one of them. It certainly feels like it’s on the upswing again.” (D, 03:42)
- Industry keynotes dominate over consumer-focused launches; AI claims are everywhere, creating "AI washing" and some hype.
Notable Quote:
"CES is no longer the Consumer Electronics Show. Maybe that's why they took away the name... it's very heavy on industry." — Jeff Jarvis [04:14]
Hardware reveals:
- All chipmakers (Intel, AMD, Nvidia, Qualcomm) introduced new AI-integrated hardware; talk everywhere of “Copilot+ PCs.”
- Paris asks: “How many times do you think you heard AI in a 24-hour period?” (C, 06:24)
- Jason: “It was everywhere...Our mission is to focus on the stuff that's actually real AI products, not AI washing... There was plenty of it, for sure.” (D, 06:37)
2. Nvidia and the Race to AI Infrastructure
[06:59–14:47]
Jensen Huang’s Keynote and the Vera Rubin platform:
- Nvidia announced a dramatic leap—training at 1/10th the “token cost” and using only a 1/4 as many GPUs compared to Blackwell (already cutting-edge).
- Announced ahead of schedule; company already has all 2026 capacity pre-sold.
- Nvidia now positions itself as “the infrastructure layer of AI,” not just hardware.
- “They are going to be in world models...taking in more real-world data. That’s what’s going to unlock robots, unlock more automotive.” (D, 12:42)
- Big partnership with Siemens for “AI factories” (data centers), digital twins, and simulation of manufacturing processes.
Notable Quote:
“In another life [Jensen Huang] could have been an amazing educator...He does like teach and communicate these very complex topics beautifully.” — Jason Hiner [07:36]
3. The Rise of ‘Physical AI’: Robot Toys & Ethical Concerns
[15:49–27:00]
- Robots were omnipresent but mostly “novelty” toys or products aimed at children rather than practical home assistants.
- New term at CES: “Physical AI”—from humanoids to robo-pets, to robot arms for factories/homes.
- “The humanoid robot is one aspect of robotics, but likely this physical AI movement is going to involve robots in a lot of different kinds of form factors.” (D, 16:06)
- AI robots for kids (emotional support bots, reading aids like Luka) raise questions about privacy, safety, manipulation, unintended consequences.
- Legislative pushback: California bill proposed banning AI toys for kids for four years after incidents where AI toys taught inappropriate content (like making bombs).
Notable Quote:
"One person's emotional support robot is another's emotionally manipulative device." — Jason Hiner [21:36]
Humor:
- “Laundry folding robot is like the holy grail, right?” (D, 18:43)
- “Every year that we’re gonna see one.” – Paris, on recurring ‘laundry robot’ CES pitches [18:52]
4. Consumer AI ‘Slop’ vs. Enterprise Value
[27:34–31:27]
- Jason: “I looked, I watched that whole [Samsung] keynote as well, and I just felt like, boy, they're trying really hard, but there's nothing in there I could see anybody I know in real life getting excited.” [28:39]
- Enterprise AI is where meaningful ROI and application is happening (automation, office tasks, domain-specific models), while consumer use remains mostly “asking dumb questions or laughing at AI slop.”
- Trend towards smaller, more focused models for efficiency and lower cost.
Leo:
“Those people who are using AI in those contexts are seeing a very different product from what consumers are seeing. They're seeing the chat products and it's...of mixed value.” [31:27]
5. "Slop" and the Debate Over Open Source, Models, and AI Ethics
[41:07–47:02, 112:09–117:11]
- Discussion of “hackquisitions” where companies like Nvidia hollow out startups for talent/IP (e.g., Grok chip team).
- “Open source” vs. “open weights”: Clarity that many “open source” models only open their output weights, not the underlying code.
- “I really want to make sure we don't call it open source. We call it open weights...Open source implies that somehow the source code is open. It's not.” — Leo [44:07]
- Conversation around Llama, Grok, and the risks of unfiltered image AI (non-consensual images, etc.).
- Ongoing debate: Is “slop” (low-grade, AI-generated content) inherently different from human mediocrity? Satya Nadella’s argument that we need to move beyond slop/sophistication divides.
- Paris: “Slop specifically refers to it being machine generated...” [113:37]
6. AI Health Launches: Promise, Risk, and Practical Use
[48:00–56:01]
- ChatGPT Health launches, promoting itself as a supportive tool, not a replacement for diagnosis or treatment – encourages users to link health records/data.
- Hosts express skepticism about accuracy, risk of misdiagnosis, user overreliance, and legal gray zones.
- “ChatGPT won’t train on that data. But I just, I worry that this is going to incentivize a behavior that is already ill advised.” — Paris [52:26]
- Jeff: AI can be useful for synthesizing and making information accessible, but garbage-in leads to garbage-out: “It’s blind men and elephants... The problem was me [not the tool].” [52:26]
- Larger point: Deficiencies in the US healthcare system are pushing users toward alternative—often unvetted—sources of advice.
7. Vibe Coding, Live Demo: Building a ‘Tomato Toss’ Game with AI
[101:10–138:45]
- In real time, Leo and Paris demonstrate “vibe coding” by prompting Claude (Anthropic’s AI) to generate a “throw tomatoes at Leo” browser game with minimal input.
- Paris: “Create a GUI game where you throw a tomato at my friend Leo…” (C, 134:08)
- AI handles not just code logic, but basic art and sound effects, with Paris reporting the whole primitive game is made “in about five minutes.”
- Broader point: AI has unlocked new levels of accessibility for software creation, even for non-coders. But deploying for others (as web services/apps) still bears friction.
- “What blocks people...is I'm not used to putting things on servers and running them.” — Jeff [100:27]
- Benito: “Most people don’t know exactly what they want...you need to be a good producer.” [102:11]
- Playful conclusion that much “AI-made” content is or soon will be “slop,” but that all creative tools (from laser printers to chatbots) have their slop phase.
Memorable Moment:
- Leo’s summary: “If nothing else, it’s a fun toy, but I think it is a lot more than that. I’m very intrigued by it.” [134:54]
8. AI Education: Where to Begin?
[119:22–123:38]
- Lisa asks how to actually learn about AI; consensus: “Any course is outdated by the time it’s published.”
- Suggestions: MIT/Stanford free lectures (notably, Stanford’s “Transformers and Large Language Models” on YouTube – [119:51]), YouTubers like Nate B. Jones, business-focused newsletters like The Deep View.
Notable Quote:
“It’s really important again, that you have that metaphor that I cannot drink this river. It’s impossible. I can dip into it.” — Leo [123:38]
Notable Quotes & Fun Moments
- “One person’s emotional support robot is another’s emotionally manipulative...device.”—Jason Hiner [21:36]
- “Laundry folding robot is like the holy grail, right?”—Jason Hiner [18:43]
- “AI slop” is debated throughout, with Satya Nadella and the gang wrangling with what counts as meaningful vs. “junk" content.
- Paris quickly creates the “Tomato Toss: Leo Edition” (game link shared in chat), delighting the panel with the ease and weirdness of modern AI-powered prototyping.
Timestamps of Key Segments
- CES/AI Trend Report: [02:26–15:49]
- Nvidia Strategy Deep Dive: [06:59–14:47]
- Robot Toys & Ethics: [15:49–27:00]
- Consumer AI “Slop” and Enterprise Value: [27:34–31:27]
- “Hackquisitions,” Open Source, and AI Ethics: [41:07–47:02]
- ChatGPT Health & AI Medical Concerns: [48:00–56:01]
- Tomato Game Live Coding (Vibe Coding): [101:10–138:45]
- Learning AI, Course Recommendations: [119:22–123:38]
Picks of the Week
Paris Martineau:
- Medicine and Survival: Tamiflu for flu, combo COVID/flu tests, and gluten-free babka from Zabar’s (plus Nick Cage’s New Orleans pyramid tomb)
- Demo: Rapidly built “Tomato Toss: Leo Edition” browser game via Claude AI
Jeff Jarvis:
- Pixel 10 Pro experience (it’s...a phone)
- Screen protector (Torres brand) and Apple Store SUFFERING story
Leo Laporte:
- Floor 796 (floor796.com) – a massive, interactive GIF with countless pop culture Easter eggs, “old internet” fun
Closing Tone
The show wraps with camaraderie, playful competition over who can code the best AI-generated tomato game, and a refreshingly skeptical but optimistic review of where AI fits into daily life—from household gadgets and “AI slop” content to truly transformative enterprise uses. The team agrees that, for the average person, AI is best approached as a river to be sampled (not a cup to be drunk whole) and that slop, fun, and breakthroughs will often blend in the years ahead.
"Happy New Year from the Intelligent Machines gang. We’ll see you next week." — Leo Laporte [160:01]