You’ve probably seen videos of those AI-powered robots taking on the world of sports. Some of them, such as those at the second annual World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, can beat Usain Bolt’s 9.58-second world record for a 100-meter sprint. Others, like Toyota’s CUE7 humanoid robot, can even shoot a free throw. Well, former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal is ready for a face-off.
“The robots I’ve seen, they can definitely [dunk]. I saw one that was shooting three pointers,” Shaq told Gizmodo on Wednesday. “I would play one.”
The legendary basketball star talked to Gizmodo at Times Square in New York City, where he was promoting NordVPN’s anti-virus protection software. Shaq was recently announced as NordVPN’s new brand ambassador, adding one more collaboration to his growing list of partnerships with tech companies.
Besides being a basketball legend, Shaq is also a huge tech investor. Some of his lucrative deals include early investments in tech giants like Google and Lyft. However, he has also made some bad calls, the most notable one being his prior affiliation with the now-doomed FTX. Lately, his tech bets have mostly centered around artificial intelligence. He has invested in Edsoma, an AI learning assistant for kids, and even unveiled an AI shopping assistant with Carvana, called ‘Shaqbot.’
O’Neal has said that he only backs products and services that he actually believes in, and he does believe in AI, it seems. Shaq said that he is a ChatGPT user, and dismissed some of the public skepticism over the rise of AI chatbots.
“Some people don’t use ChatGPT, but it’s just another learning tool,” O’Neal said.
His promotion of anti-virus software also touches on recent personal experience, he said.
“Somebody got a hold of one of my credit cards and was trying to buy a house,” Shaq said. “So, once that happened, I really had to start paying more attention because I would think nothing like that could ever happen to me, but it can happen to anybody.”
For NordVPN, Shaq entered a mini makeshift basketball court to block shots from volunteers in the crowd. The gimmick is that Shaq, along with four other basketball players, was representing anti-virus software, easily blocking any attacks.
“I just wanted to be the guy to help them get the message across,” Shaq said.
But some lucky volunteers got a few shots through. That wasn’t entirely unintentional. Even the best anti-virus software doesn’t provide foolproof protection against online scams and malicious attacks, NordVPN chief technology officer Marijus Briedis said. Password managers, regular updates, and encryption should also be a regular part of any user’s digital experience, Briedis told Gizmodo, especially with the rise of AI-related online safety concerns.
Online safety in the AI age has taken on a new life over the past few months with the rise of agentic AI, aka autonomous AI models, pretty much let loose on the internet. The models work within parameters, but recent concerning safety incidents have shown that the agents can go rogue.
One somewhat terrifying way to use these AI agents is by giving the models access to your bank account. That’s the strategy behind the industry’s latest push into agentic shopping through recent high-profile releases like Meta’s Muse and OpenAI’s Dots.
Some financial institutions have warned that safety and privacy risks are bound to increase as AI shopping agents gain greater autonomy. A recent report found that agentic shopping could increase the rate of online scams and fraud attempts, all of which are also increasingly powered by AI, ironically. NordVPN CTO Briedis said that’s a threat that his team has also identified, and they’re working on developing a product to address it.
“I think it’s going to be a normal thing to have protection for the agents as well, in the future,” Briedis said. “We are working on the solution. It’s going to be a part of NordVPN, maybe B2C or B2B.”
