A Basketball with a Hidden Message
OpenAI has released a ChatGPT basketball that costs $70, or about 56 million input tokens for GPT-5. The product listing explains that this basketball comes from the Pause. Play. Prompt. campaign, a physical reminder that creativity doesn’t just live on our screens.
A Novel Approach to Mental Health
Who says tech companies aren't thinking about our mental health? The basketball is a 100% rubber ball, which is a better fit for outdoor play due to its weather resistance than the more expensive leather balls you'll find on professional basketball courts.
- It's difficult to imagine the target customer for the ChatGPT basketball.
- Wander outside the safety of an AI-pilled, tokenmaxxing Silicon Valley and one might worry about getting bullied for bringing a ChatGPT basketball to the court.
You could not pay me $70 to walk onto a community court in Philadelphia with this ChatGPT basketball. (If it were free swag from a conference, it could pass as ironic.)
The AI Industry's Product-Market Fit Instincts
In defense of the ChatGPT basketball, the AI industry isn't exactly known for its product-market fit instincts. May the Humane AI Pin rest in peace.
OpenAI's Merchandise Line
Alongside that $70 artifact, OpenAI is also selling a line of merch with inspirational reminders, like "Good research takes time." The product description says that "it features a crisp collar that reminisces on our days in academia," which could alienate the "I never went to college because I'm a coding savant" crowd.
- There's nothing wrong with a bit of company swag, though.
- If OpenAI is looking to commission any ceramic artists to honor company history through functional tableware, I would like to throw my hat in the ring.