Decoder with Nilay Patel Razer CEO on AI in game dev, Grok, and anime waifus
12 snips
Jan 19, 2026 
Min-Liang Tan, Co-founder and CEO of Razer, dives into the ambitious Project Ava, a physical AI hologram designed to engage users in a unique way, powered by Elon Musk’s Grok. He discusses Razer's bold move towards AI in gaming despite community skepticism and the decisions behind product development from concepts to market-ready items. Tan emphasizes the importance of safety and emotional attachment in AI interactions, and predicts that AI will revolutionize game development while still valuing human creativity.
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Hardware+AI Creates Persistent Avatars
- Razer is betting AI will let physical avatars and devices host persistent conversational personalities like Project AVA.
- Min-Liang Tan views this fusion of hardware, software, and models as a new way to deliver engagement beyond button clicks.
Use Phased Launches And Dev Kits
- Seek community feedback and phased releases before full launch to surface safety concerns and iterate design.
- Use reservations and dev kits to learn and adjust guardrails before shipping a human-like product.
Model Choice Prioritizes Conversational Skill
- Razer chose Grok for AVA because it judged Grok strongest at conversational personality today.
- The company expects to be multi-model and swap models as capabilities and safety evolve.