Overview of I Don’t Need AI in My Toothbrush
This episode of Waveform is a grab-bag of creator-industry news, software annoyances, and gadget show-and-tell. The main throughline is how tech companies keep adding AI or changing metrics in ways that are useful in theory but awkward in practice: YouTube’s new view counts are confusing creators, Google is folding memory and tracking into Find Hub and Messages, Sonos is leaning hard into AI, and Dyson’s new toothbrush feels like peak “AI for AI’s sake.” The hosts also dig into the ethics of sponsored reviews and creator transparency after the Markiplier/GoPro situation.
YouTube Views, Analytics, and the “Engaged Views” Problem
The crew revisits YouTube’s new view-count system and how it affects creators:
- Public views vs. engaged views now diverge more the longer a video sits and gets pushed to broader audiences.
- A video that looked only slightly different at first can end up with millions more public views than engaged views after a few days.
- That makes channel performance look inflated and makes older analytics comparisons messy.
- The Creator Studio dashboard is now less useful because the default display is public views, while the old engaged-view comparison requires extra clicks in Advanced Mode.
- YouTube’s own AI summaries even include a disclaimer explaining that the metrics changed.
Takeaway: creators now have to mentally translate between two different “truths” about view counts, which complicates reporting, sponsorship value, and historical comparisons.
The Markiplier / GoPro Situation and Creator Ethics
A big chunk of the episode is dedicated to the controversy around Markiplier buying a large stake in GoPro and posting a video about the company:
- Markiplier reportedly acquired 8.5% of GoPro over time.
- He then posted a video comparing GoPro’s interchangeable-lens system to a RED camera.
- The hosts argue the video was framed like a review, but it also included a sponsorship disclosure and later turned out to overlap with big news about GoPro’s corporate future.
- Soon after, GoPro announced a merger/acquisition deal involving a company positioned around optical transceivers, defense, robotics, and related hardware.
- Markiplier later said he didn’t know that merger news was coming when he bought the shares.
Why the hosts cared
Their main point is about disclosure and vocabulary:
- In tech media, the word “review” implies a level of independence.
- If you have a major financial stake in a company, “review” may not be the best label, even if the video is honest.
- The hosts think Markiplier’s instinct to avoid telling fans to buy GoPro stock was understandable, but they still believe a more direct disclosure like “I’m invested in this company” would have been clearer.
- They discuss how every creator draws the “line in the sand” differently: sponsorships, affiliate links, access, PR loans, and ownership all change how audiences perceive coverage.
Takeaway: the episode becomes a broader discussion of how creators should disclose financial relationships and why audiences interpret “review” differently depending on the creator.
Google and Android: Find Hub, Messages, and Motion Sickness
The episode also covers a useful Android feature drop.
Find Hub can remember where you left things
Google’s Find Hub now lets you store the last known location of an item even if it doesn’t have a tracker:
- You can tell Gemini something like, “I put my passport in the basement safe.”
- Later, you can ask where it is, and Find Hub/Gemini will remember.
- It’s a simple but genuinely practical feature for things you don’t want to AirTag.
Google Messages improvements
They also discuss a few Messages upgrades:
- Custom chat backgrounds are coming, which the hosts think may help avoid replying to the wrong person.
- Pinned chats in Google Messages are still clunky compared with Apple’s implementation.
- An auto-delete OTP messages after 24 hours feature seems broken for one of the hosts.
- Google is also experimenting with shared Google Keep lists inside Messages, which could be handy for groceries and collaborative checklists.
Motion-sickness relief on Android
They talk about the feature that helps with car sickness by showing moving dots/bubbles on screen to align visual motion with the motion your inner ear feels:
- It’s meant to reduce nausea when using a phone in a moving car.
- The same idea is now coming to Android.
- The hosts explain the biology in plain terms: nausea happens when your eyes and inner ear disagree about motion.
Takeaway: these are small but useful examples of software features that solve real-life annoyances without needing big flashy AI hype.
Sonos Goes Hard on AI
Sonos held an event and announced new hardware plus a very AI-heavy software push:
- New/updated headphones with better ANC, fit-adaptive EQ, and longer battery life.
- A new soundbar and a refreshed Sonos OS.
- A new voice assistant and even an MCP integration, so Claude can control Sonos.
- Up to 10 AI “agents” that can do things like give weather updates or motivational speeches.
The hosts are amused by how aggressively Sonos is leaning into AI after its app troubles.
Takeaway: they’re skeptical that speakers need lots of AI agents, though they do think some music-search use cases could be genuinely useful.
Why the Dyson AI Toothbrush Feels Like Too Much
The episode title comes from this segment.
Dyson’s new toothbrush, the Dyson Cleanjet (as described in the transcript), combines several features:
- A camera that looks between your teeth
- A water/mouthwash jet system that blasts debris from gaps
- AI-style detection of where to spray
- A very high price tag, around $500
The hosts are skeptical, but not dismissive:
- It’s extremely over-engineered.
- Dyson has a history of making expensive products that sometimes end up being surprisingly good.
- Still, this feels like the kind of product that is hard to justify unless it proves itself in real-world reviews.
Takeaway: the toothbrush is the perfect symbol of “AI in everything,” even if some users might genuinely find the combo of electric brushing and water flossing useful.
Other Show-and-Tell Picks
The final segment is a mini gadget parade:
Citizen Anadigi Temp watch
One host shows off a vintage-ish Citizen Anadigi Temp watch:
- Digital watch with a classic look
- Can display temperature
- Came from a box of free items outside a design agency
Veo sports camera for ultimate frisbee
Another host brings in a Veo camera system:
- Designed for filming sports automatically
- Uses two ultra-wide cameras on a tall tripod
- Tracks the disc/ball and follows the action
- Popular in ultimate frisbee and other field sports
- Expensive and subscription-based, but very useful for team film review
Radio Garden
A favorite discovery/app:
- A globe-style interface for browsing radio stations worldwide
- Lets you tune into stations from different countries like you’re spinning the Earth
- Simple, free, and surprisingly fun
Chipolo Loop tracker
A practical tracker accessory:
- Works with both Apple Find My and Google Find Hub
- USB-C rechargeable
- Has a button for phone-finding and other actions
- Great form factor for keys without the usual bulky attachment
Beyond Power Vulture One
A very expensive but impressive portable cable machine:
- Acts like a compact adjustable resistance gym
- Can be mounted in different ways
- Lets you do curls, squats, presses, deadlifts, and more
- Clearly targeted at travel, van life, or niche fitness setups
- Extremely pricey, but well built
Trivia Answers and Closing Notes
The show ends with the usual trivia reveal:
-
What came first: the soundbar or stereo TV broadcasts?
Answer: the soundbar. -
What was Google Find Hub originally called when it launched in 2013?
Answer: Android Device Manager.
The episode closes with the hosts joking about the coming waves of Tech-tember / Tech-tober, promising more gadget news, more analytics confusion, and likely more AI in places it may or may not belong.