Nostalgic Hardware Normalizes Ambient AI

Manufacturers are packaging always‑on, recommendation‑driven AI into retro form factors (turntables, cassette players) to make intrusive, attention‑shaping devices feel familiar and benign. That design choice lowers resistance to embedding AI into private domestic spaces, shifting content discovery, data collection, and ad opportunities from phones to dedicated household objects. — This matters because it reframes debates about platform power, privacy, and advertising from apps and phones to physical home devices — changing who controls cultural attention and personal data in the living room.