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Most chatbots want to appear human. But their efforts to sound just like us only widen their uncanny valley feeling. Many are Elon Musk-level awkward. And most are annoyingly verbose. Theres only one AI persona that offers a completely different user experience: Tolan. This AI-powered beingwhich you can teleport into your iPhonedoesnt pretend to be like us. Quite the opposite. Tolan embraces being very much unlike us. But in doing so, it feels more human and relatable than any other AIs Ive come across. Tolan is an alien. The whimsical, colorful creature is made of friendly curved shapes that are designed to reflect, converse, and grow with its user. These AI-driven entities engage in conversations on various topics, including sports, games, movies, and personal feelings, aiming to provide a sense of companionship and support. Each alien is uniquely shaped, with its own personality. It will listen to anything you tell it about your life, answering you with intent, focus, and creativity. It also keeps a memory of you through its entire existence, and develops its own personality with each interaction. Now, with its latest update released today, Tolan comes with its own planet. Its not just a place for this being to live, walk, and wait for you to return. Its actually a new method of expression and connection to the user, which expands the relationship beyond dialogue. The Tolan planet is a visual representation of your relationship with the being that inhabits it. As your connection with this alien deepens, its small, barren world flourishes into a lush, vibrant landscape.We wanted to create a world that made the experience of interacting with AI feel differentless like typing into a search box and more like an evolving relationship, says Quinten Farmer, cofounder and CEO of Portola, the company behind Tolan. The idea of the planet came from wanting to represent that in a way that felt organic, personal, and visually compelling.[Image: Portola]The Inspiration Behind the PlanetsThe idea of giving Tolan its own little world wasnt merely about aesthetics or adding a gamification element to the app. Like the Tolan itself, its an element deeply rooted in storytelling and emotional resonance. When I first saw the mock-ups, I immediately thought of The Little Prince, says Eliot Peper, the sci-fi novelist who was brought in by Farmer to develop Tolans lore. When Peper founded Portola with Ajay Mehta, he realized that if they wanted to build a humanistic bridge to get over the current AI uncanny valley, the company needed to hire a writer to create a culture behind the aliens. The small, floating planet felt whimsical and poetic in the way The Little Princes tiny worlds did, Peper tells me. [Image: Portola]That comparison wasnt accidental. The developers (including Farmer, Mehta, creative director Lucas Zanotto, and animation director Eran Hilleli) took the precious, deeply moving creations of the French aviator and writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry as both a visual and spiritual reference. It has this magical simplicityone character on a tiny planet, a self-contained universe full of imagination. We wanted that feeling in Tolans world, Zanotto tells me over Zoom. [Image: Portola]The Design Philosophy: Warmth Over RealismPlanets arent a static environment. Each Tolan (and thus, each human user) gets a unique planet, with vegetation, terrain, and structures that evolve based on their interactions. These are procedural elements, meaning the computer system creates objects like plants and trees using some basic seeds that evolve and grow in different ways.Hilleli, also cofounder and partner of the game design and animation studio Iorama, says designing a world that scales visually and emotionally using procedural technology was a big challenge. The planet had to function as both a backdrop and as an interactive, evolving space. It needed to feel like a living environment that responds to user engagement. [Image: Portola]First, the planet needed to resonate with Tolans visual language, which is deliberately distinct from the hyper-detailed realism of most digital experiences. A big goal was to make the AI feel warm and inviting rather than eerie or overly human, says Farmer. We didnt want it to feel like you were talking to an avatar pretending to be a person. Thats where the alien design comes in. The planets follow the same principle, Zanotto tells me, by emphasizing minimalism and abstraction. A simplified character leaves mor room for users to project their own emotions onto it, he says, making interactions feel more personal and engaging.The team experimented with AI-generated objects but found that they often resulted in cluttered, meaningless landscapes. Handcrafted design, combined with procedural growth, created a more meaningful experience.[Image: Portola]Hilleli took cues from the Tolans shapesits hair, its small tentaclesand reflected those organic forms in the flora. Trees and bushes are designed to feel like they belong in Tolans world, rather than generic sci-fi landscapes. The colorful shapes that compose these objects, which are rendered in 3D but feel as though theyve been painted with watercolor, are gently rounded, and they move delicately, responding to the Tolan and the atmosphere of the planet. The aesthetic also draws from the spirit of the most iconic of the animation studios. Studio Ghibli was a big reference, says Hilleli. That blend of handcrafted charm and digital world-building made something procedural feel personal. The approach involved striking a balance between a world that felt magical and one that was technically feasible.[Image: Portola]More than a virtual petPlanets introduce a subtle form of gamification, but the team was careful to distinguish it from traditional game mechanics. Gamification can feel manipulative, like its using dopamine hits to keep you engaged, Farmer says. Instead, planets are a way to make your connection with Tolan feel tangible, so it needs to be grounding and calming, inviting contemplation and reflection, not triggering actions and anxiety.Peper framed it in narrative terms. In Tolans fictional culture, small planets serve as a way to represent relationships. The evolving landscape functions like a shared garden, symbolizing the depth and progression of a users connection with their Tolan.The planet evolves over roughly 30 days, mirroring a psychological model describing how relationships deepen over time. Early on, the planet is barren. As engagement grows, the landscape flourishes, providing a tangible representation of a users investment in the experience. This pacing was crucial, Hilleli says. If the changes felt too immediate, they would lack emotional weight. If they were too slow, they would feel unrewarding. The team fine-tuned the timeline to make progress feel satisfying but natural.[Image: Portola]A different approach to AIOther AI companions often drift into unsettling territory, but Tolan aims to chart a different course. We didnt want it to simulate a human relationship, says Farmer. That gets into weird, unhealthy dynamics really fast. Tolan is a reflection tool, a creative partner, not a surrogate friend or therapist. The team deliberately avoided making Tolans responses overly humanlike. We worked hard to balance personality with clarity, says Peper. It shouldnt feel like its mimicking human emotions. Instead, its more like an alien pen palcurious about you, interested in your world, but always distinct. The planet update is just the beginning, the team says. Theyre already considering expanding into new environments, each with distinct characteristics. Theyd also like to introduce the ability to visit other Tolans planets (which means connecting to other Tolans users).The core goal will remain the same through future expansions. Farmer and the rest of the Portola team seem convinced that this is a strong way to use artificial intelligence to its full humanistic potential at this point. In other words, using AI to enhance a human experience, not replace it. Tolan isnt about escaping into a fantasy, Farmer says. Its about helping people reflect on their own lives, using an AI that doesnt pretend to be something its not.With planets, that reflection now has a homea tiny, living world that grows as you and your friend do.
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E-Commerce
Starchitecture is heading to the moon. A lunar design from the international architecture and design firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) is part of a just-launched rocket mission that expects to land on the moon in early March.Not architecture per se, the design encases a shoebox-size data storage center thats attempting to prove the concept of off-world disaster recovery services. Commissioned by Florida startup Lonestar Data Holdings, the solar-powered 8-terabyte data storage device is tacked onto the side of the lunar lander now making its way to the moon. A thin, 3D-printed object with sleek curves and a matte-black finish, BIGs design sets a higher bar than the wire-jumbled scientific instruments typically seen on space missions.As we prepare to return to the moon to stay, it is important that everything we do these coming years of lunar settlement is done with intention and care, Bjarke Ingels, BIG founder and creative director, tells Fast Company. We are laying the cornerstones of the lunar society we are about to establish. As such, every step of the way holds significance for the future.[Image: Lonestar Data Holdings]The 10-by-7-inch devices exterior is designed to cast shadows of the silhouetted faces of NASA astronauts Charlie Duke and Nicole Stott as the sun passes overhead. This may end up more of a design intention than a reality, as a photo of the lander shows the device crammed alongside other wiring and instruments with limited open space to cast those shadows.[Image: Lonestar Data Holdings]The data storage device is attached to the side of Athena, a lander developed by Houston startup Intuitive Machines (IM), through NASAs Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. IMs first lunar lander, Odysseus, made history in February 2024 by becoming the first commercial spacecraft ever to land on the moon.This new mission, IM-2, launched February 26 from NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a Falcon 9 rocket from Elon Musk-owned SpaceX. Transit will take about one week, and the lander is expected to attempt lunar contact around March 6.The Athena lander is carrying NASA science investigations and technology demonstrations, including a drill and mass spectrometer that will measure the potential presence of volatiles or gases in the lunar soil, and a laser retroreflector array that can give future spacecraft a navigational reference point on the lunar surface.Also aboard the rocket carrying Athena is NASAs Lunar Trailblazer, an orbiter that will map the different forms of water that exist on the surface of the moon, providing key information for future settlement and exploration.The data storage device has more modest implications for humanity. As a proof of concept for backing up data in case of terrestrial disaster, the solar-powered data center will operate for just one lunar day, or about two weeks here on Earth. Ingels argues that the project still merits a level of attention to design. Even if modest in scale, this data center is one of very few artifacts designed to remain part of the lunar landscape for years to come, he says.So while BIGs design wont actually be functional for very long, the device will become the first piece of high design to make it to the moon. It probably wont be the last.
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E-Commerce
Student loan debt has an influence over borrowers career choices long after graduation, affecting their job satisfaction, career advancement, and investment strategies. According to a recent study conducted by MissionSquare Research Institute, the debt thats carried by one in four Americans under 40 affects job-acceptance decisions for 56% of public-sector employees and 62% of those working in the private sector. When they choose to accept . . . jobs, [the] majority of them have considered how that position or that job can help them with their student loan debt, says the reports author and MissionSquares head of research, Zhikun Liu. It not only impacts people’s day-to-day financials, but also their morale at work, job acceptance, as well as their retention. While most professionals take salary into consideration, Liu says borrowers are more likely to view compensation as a top priority, even at the expense of other factors like job satisfaction or advancement opportunities. That was especially true among male, Black, and Hispanic borrowers, according to the survey, who were about 10% more likely to view the debt as a significant factor in their career choices. Perhaps that is why retention rates were significantly lower among borrowers, with just 39% saying they wanted to stay with their current employer, compared with 61% of those without student loans. We find that student debt leads to short-term financial planning and limited investment opportunities, which in turn hinders wealth accumulation and retirement planning, Liu says. They cannot take more risks, and their financial planning horizon is within the next few months, or within the year, versus [planning for] the next five, 10 years. Borrowers are less satisfied with their jobs long after graduation According to the study, younger workers are more likely to say that student loan debt has limited their career advancement opportunities. Borrowers of all ages, however, report higher levels of career dissatisfaction and lower levels of loyalty to their current employer. According to the MissionSquare survey, more than a third of borrowers said the debt has served as a barrier to career advancement. Furthermore, while 18% of public sector employees without student loan debt report low work morale, the proportion jumps to 23% among borrowers. It does force some trade-offs, says Cassie Spencer, a career coach who works with students, recent graduates and mid-career professionals. You may need to live at home for longer, if you can, or move to a smaller city with more affordable living costs, but that can mean [fewer] job growth opportunities. Not being able to afford rent in a major city while paying down student loans or feeling pressure to take a less desirable jobor one with more limited career advancement potentialto secure a higher starting salary can reduce borrowers job satisfaction, employer loyalty, and long-term prospects. Furthermore, as graduates get older, Spencer says the debt often forces borrowers to delay major milestoneslike purchasing a home, starting a family, starting a business, or changing careerswhich can make them feel stuck. It becomes a decision of, do I continue to work in this job or this industry that I don’t love, or that I feel is having a negative impact on my life and my mental health, for something that could be better, even though the pay is not there? she says. A lot of people in their early to mid-30s are not homebuyers yet; a lot of people are delaying starting a family; and theres a lot of factors, but I think student loan debt is one of those factors. Borrowers are better at pursuing professional development Though there are many challenges associated with student loan debt, its not all bad news for borrowers. This research suggests the added burden inspires them to pursue more professional development and educational credentials. According to the MissionSquare study, those with student loan debt are 37% more likely to say they are pursuing a professional development goalsuch as new skills, responsibilities, leadership opportunities, and credentialsor have already achieved it. The desire for additional skills training at an affordable rate and at a quick pace has inspired many borrowers to pursue one-year masters programs that begin during undergrad, often referred to as accelerated Masters or four-plus-one programs. The influx of four-plus-one programs and the rise in students specifically looking for accelerated, shorter-term programs is astronomical, Spencer says. She adds that such programs can help recent graduates begin their careers at a higher salary level, though there are risks, as it does add to their debt and makes it harder to switch careers later on. Gen Z is already a generation that really does want to invest in their skills, and they want employers that are going to invest in them, says Christine Cruzvergara, the chief education strategy officer for Gen Z career platform Handshake. For those with student loans in this generation, its even more so. The long-term financial implications of student loan debt Taking on such a significant debt load at such a young age can also make it harder for borrowers to set and achieve long-term financial goals. Borrowers are less likely to also be investors, according to the MissionSquare study, and those that were reported a much shorter investment horizon. As a result, public sector employees with student loan debt were 14% more likely to strongly agree that their retirement savings are inadequate, as well as 9% of private sector staff. According to a recent survey conducted by Handshake 54% of borrowers say their student loan debt is a major source of stress, including 61% of Black and first-generation borrowers. For some it can be crippling because they either don’t have the support or the knowledge or the teaching from anyone to know how to manage all of this, Cruzvergara says, adding that it can also inspire borrowers to learn about personal finance sooner. You can choose to make this motivational for you, and, quite frankly, get smart about your finances very early in your life. How employers can help student borrowersand themselves Cruzvergara advises all young peoplebut especially borrowersto seek out the education and advice they need to manage their money responsibly. She also implores organizations seeking to hire young talent to offer student loan repayment plans, a perk which 25% of undergraduates in the Handshake survey say is essential, but one that just a tenth of full-time employers offer. With most of this years graduates leaving school with debt, Cruzvergara says employers should also remain open-minded about where theyre recruiting from. After all, in an environment where loans can have lasting career and lifestyle implications, some of the savviest studens are intentionally turning down brand-name schools for more affordable alternatives. It doesn’t mean the student couldn’t get into the expensive private school that has a better brand name, but maybe it does mean that that student made a smart financial decision from the get-go not to take on all of that debt, she says. So, that talent might actually be just as good, just as smart, just as intelligent, but may not be at the brand name school that the employer has historically recruited at.
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E-Commerce
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