Skip to main content

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg pulls back the veil on the Jarvis AI system he created

In a lengthy post published to his nearly 13-year-old pet project, Facebook, social network wunderkind Mark Zuckerberg has officially unveiled the ins and outs of his built-from-scratch home artificial intelligence system. Dubbed Jarvis — a nod to the AI system Tony Stark employs in Marvel’s Iron Man comics — Zuckerberg designed his personalized home automation network to make accomplishing such tasks as playing music or dimming the lights easy while also allowing the AI to personally learn his “tastes and patterns.” Though he’d personally given updates (and even run public tests) on the system in the past, his recent briefing serves as the project’s most in-depth explainer.

Built using Objective C, PHP, and Python, the Jarvis AI system is essentially an ubertalented version of Amazon’s Alexa or Google’s Home device. Capable of operating a number of smart products in Zuckerberg’s home — such as his Crestron lighting system, his Sonos and Spotify setup, and the Nest cam he uses to check in on his daughter — Zuckerberg acknowledged that one of the hardest parts of the entire process was figuring out a way for each smart home system to communicate effectively with each other.

Recommended Videos

“Before I could build any AI, I first needed to write code to connect these systems, which all speak different languages and protocols,” Zuckerberg wrote. “We use a Crestron system with our lights, thermostat and doors; a Sonos system with Spotify for music; a Samsung TV; a Nest cam for Max; and, of course, my work is connected to Facebook’s systems. I had to reverse engineer APIs for some of these to even get to the point where I could issue a command from my computer to turn the lights on or get a song to play.”

Zuckerberg talking about his Jarvis AI system in Italy over the summer. Facebook

After overcoming this initial hurdle, Zuckerberg turned his attention to allowing Jarvis to heed and interpret communication as similarly as possible to that of a human. To accomplish this, the system had to have a method for receiving text messages while maintaining the ability to translate actual speech. Zuckerberg felt the text message and speech combination was an incredibly important decision, admitting he’s surprised at how much more he texts Jarvis instead of talking to it.

“One thing that surprised me about my communication with Jarvis is that when I have the choice of either speaking or texting, I text much more than I would have expected,” he continued. “This is for a number of reasons, but mostly it feels less disturbing to people around me. If I’m doing something that relates to them, like playing music for all of us, then speaking feels fine, but most of the time text feels more appropriate.”

What may be most impressive about Jarvis’ ability to receive texts is the fact Zuckerberg built a dedicated Messenger bot that allows him to chat with the system no matter where he’s actually located. Not only does this allow him to preemptively turn on his lights but it also provides a supremely effective way to keep up with what’s going on at his house. For instance, with the inclusion of an advanced facial- and speech-recognition feature, Jarvis keeps Zuckerberg in the loop should someone stroll up to his house — known or unknown. Furthermore, if the system recognizes the person, it automatically lets them in — after taking their photo and adding it to the Messenger conversation, of course.

Though the system isn’t perfect — during an exclusive Fast Company demo, it took Zuckerberg four tries to turn off his lights — he says he’s committed to staying focused on continuously improving Jarvis since he uses it every day. Be it the addition of more voice terminals or the creation of an Android app (currently, Zuckerberg uses an iPhone to control Jarvis), there’s still plenty to be accomplished. However, from the looks of the schematic Zuckerberg published, it appears as though his system is essentially perfect. How so? Because he’s programmed Jarvis to be compatible with a T-shirt cannon that fires a new gray tee to Zuckerberg when he asks for one. If you ask us, that’s peak artificial intelligence.

Rick Stella
Former Associate Editor, Outdoor
Rick became enamored with technology the moment his parents got him an original NES for Christmas in 1991. And as they say…
Wybot robotic pool cleaners are on sale — up to 43% off
The Wybot M1 robotic pool cleaner beside the swimming pool.

For a no-fuss way of maintaining the cleanliness of your swimming pool, you're going to want to invest in a robotic pool cleaner. Wybot is an excellent brand in this space, and it's a great time to buy one of its devices because it has its own Prime Day deals ahead of Amazon's Prime Day. You'll be able to enjoy discounts of up to more than 40% in the ongoing sale, but you're going to have to hurry as the offers will only be available until July 11.

You can check out all of the Wybot robotic pool cleaners that are on sale through the link below, but if you want recommendations, we've also highlighted our three favorite offers. Time is running out on the potential savings, so don't waste any more time and make your decision on which one to purchase as soon as you can.

Read more
Amazon Echo Spot back to its lowest-ever price ahead of Prime Day — 44% off
The Amazon Echo Spot (2024) on a table.

Amazon's Prime Day is just around the corner, but you can already start shopping for Amazon Echo deals if you're an Amazon Prime subscriber. Here's a nice one — the 2024 release of the Amazon Echo Spot with a 44% discount, bringing the smart alarm clock's price back down to its lowest-ever price of just $45 from its original price of $80. We're not sure how much time is remaining before this offer for savings of $35 expires though, so if you're interested, we highly recommend proceeding with your purchase immediately.

BUY NOW

Read more
Beatbot robotic pool cleaners are up to $930 off in early Prime Day deals
The Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra beside the swimming pool.

Beatbot is rolling out its own offers on its wide range of robotic pool cleaners ahead of Amazon's Prime Day, for the chance at amazing discounts on these smart devices. Up to $930 in savings are up for grabs before the shopping holiday even starts, so if you think you need help in maintaining a clean swimming pool, you wouldn't want to miss these incredible bargains.

Beatbot's Prime Day deals also include exclusive trade-in offers for additional savings -- this covers not just older Beatbot robotic pool cleaners, but also those made by other brands. This is a fantastic time to go for an upgrade, or to make the switch! And here's another reason to get a Beatbot device -- they all come with a three-year full replacement warranty, which is the first of its kind in the industry, for your peace of mind.

Read more