AI Mario is pure nightmare fuel and we hope Nintendo kills it

CES is full of strange tech, but one of the weirdest is a Mario-themed AI contraption on the show floor, and we truly don’t know why this exists.

The device displayed at the AARP booth features everyone’s favorite plumber caged in a digital prison and powered by an AI chatbot. This monstrosity can be seen in a video shared by X (formerly Twitter) user ProbChild, and you’re probably thinking the same as us. That doesn’t sound like the Mario we know and love.

This device was created by Proto, a hologram communication company, as reported by IGN. The device features two key components: a holographic display and an AI chatbot. You can apparently ask Mario questions and see the avatar react and answer your requests. ProbChild shared their experience, which included asking Mario how to buy a game, to which the digital avatar responded by suggesting they visit a Target store. 

While this might sound cool in principle, in practice, it’s just a strange mess that doesn’t capture the spirit of Mario in the slightest. Of course, this technology can be used with any avatar, theoretically. It doesn’t need to tarnish the memory of Mario to function.

Proto said the device is in no way affiliated with Nintendo and referred to the red-capped plumber’s presence as inadvertent. It remains to be seen how Nintendo will react to this appearance, but judging by the online response, fans hate it, and we can see why.

Perhaps in the future, once this technology is further polished, crafting a product in tandem with IP like Mario will become a reality. Right now, it’s anyone’s guess the heights technology will climb to in 2024.