When AI Turns Against You While You Sleep
A tech-savvy YouTuber found himself wide awake at 5am—not from nightmares, but because his smart bed malfunctioned.
Theo Browne, a software engineer and content creator known online as t3.gg, shared on X that he was jolted out of sleep after his bed became too cold.
The culprit?
A failed app connected to his AI-powered mattress.
His peculiar incident attracted thousands of responses and over 6.6 million views.
“Woke up because my AI-controlled bed is too cold.”
The root of the problem was the Eight Sleep Pod3, a high-end smart mattress system that uses embedded sensors and a water-based cooling cover to adjust temperature automatically.
But when the app glitched, Browne couldn’t override the settings manually.
“Went to adjust temperature and I can’t because the Eight Sleep app is currently broken. Can’t adjust by hand because I have a Pod3, not the upgraded Pod4 with physical controls.”
He ended his post on a helpless note,
“Now I am stuck in a cold bed. This feels dystopian.”
Luxury Sleep Tech or Unnecessary Complexity?
Eight Sleep’s flagship product isn’t just a mattress — it’s a biometric tracker, heating system, and temperature regulator all in one.
It monitors heart rate, sleep cycles and movements, promising better rest through AI-driven optimisation.
The company’s cofounder Alexandra Zatarain has described it as a potential “preventative health device” that uses data and algorithms to improve sleep over time.
But the Pod3 doesn’t come cheap.
The mattress system, cover and monthly software subscription can cost well over US$3,000 in total.
For Browne, the frustration wasn’t just about losing sleep — it was about losing control.
Without the app functioning, even basic functions were inaccessible.
Can a Smart Bed Break Down Like a Smartphone?
Following the viral post, Browne updated followers that Eight Sleep had identified a backend outage.
“Confirmed with the Eight Sleep team that this was a backend outage 🙃
They also confirmed they are working on unblocking an offline mode, huge if true”
The incident sparked broader concern among users online, many of whom questioned the risks of putting such essential functions behind software and paywalls.
Expressing strong disapproval, a user questioned the excessive reliance on the business:
“i wonder what happens to you when they go under as a business? you just sleep in a cold bed forever? this is saas gone entirely and obviously too far”
Browne responded with a half-joking:
“If that happens, I jailbreak my bed lol.”
Some critics pointed out the irony.
One post reads,
“(techbros imagining a dystopia): what if the temperature settings on your climate controlled bed were broken."
Others suggested simpler solutions.
“Get a f*cking blanket.”
There were also suggestions from some to just get a "normal bed."
Is Convenience Worth the Cost of Control?
This episode might seem trivial, but it hints at a growing tension in consumer tech — the trade-off between automation and autonomy.
When basic comforts like bed temperature depend on app uptime and cloud servers, users lose direct control over everyday experiences.
This reliance can leave individuals feeling helpless, even impacting fundamental activities like sleep.
As more devices lean on subscriptions and remote software, the simple act of sleeping warm becomes another thing managed by algorithms — and vulnerable to failure.
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