The rise of the AI gadget could free us from our smartphones

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It’s impossible to predict all the ways in which AI will change our lives, but one sure bet is that virtual assistants will help us navigate this brave new world. Some will be built into our smartphones, but companies big and small also hope consumers will find space for an extra AI-powered gadget—and perhaps eventually ditch their phones altogether.

The category has not started off so well, as some of the most eagerly awaited AI-powered devices to land this year have done so with a resounding thud.

First, there was the Humane AI Pin, a $699-plus-$24-a-month lapel pin that projected images onto a user’s hand. The matchbook-size device was supposed to wean people off their smartphones, but was instead lambasted by reviewers for its cost and poor performance. Then came the Rabbit R1, a $199 handheld gadget that could answer questions and identify things its camera saw. Critics were kinder to the Rabbit, but still asked what its point was, since our phones can now do much the same.

So what is the ideal AI gadget? Is the optimal design something that unleashes an all-powerful AI genie? Or is it one of our existing accoutrements, made more useful with a dash of AI?

There’s a broad “scramble within the consumer electronics industry to find the best applications for new large language models [LLMs] within hardware,” says Jack Leathem, a research analyst at Canalys. Expect a lot of trial and error as companies compete to devise the winning recipe.