AI’s next target? Helping you kick your phone addiction.
AI devices are a top priority for Big Tech companies that view it as the future of how humans and AI interact, writes BI’s Amanda Hoover.
You’ve likely heard of this hardware before, which acts as a sort of AI sidekick for your life. From the Rabbit R1 and Humane to Friend, the names are different, but the stories are the same: big expectations, difficult execution.
Amanda’s story covers how it’s not just upstarts looking to shake things up. Tech giants like Apple, Meta, and OpenAI are working on their own solutions.
It’s an uphill battle considering how addicted most of us are to our phones. However, the push for phone-free lifestyles, especially among Gen Z, does create an opening.
These tech giants also don’t have much of a choice.
Apple, for example, has largely sat out the AI wars, saving a ton of money on model development. That only works if the iPhone remains a key distribution channel for the AI it’s skipping out on developing.
Meta’s business is also heavily reliant on smartphone usage. (How often do you check Instagram on your desktop computer? Do you even have a desktop computer?) If user behavior around phones changes in a meaningful way, you can bet Meta wants to be ahead of it.
AI devices also give companies a front-row seat to your life.
You could argue that’s already the case with these AI chatbots. I’d argue the relationship between you and your chatbot of choice is still mostly transactional. You have a question/problem/thought; the chatbot has an answer (hopefully).
The relationship with AI wearables is more fluid. It’s always listening, learning, and collecting. The pitch is that makes it a better copilot. Understanding your habits means it can figure out the best way to serve you.
That’s putting a lot of faith, and your personal data, into an AI device, though
Many executives I’ve spoken to have said this is the future. Truly leveraging AI is about incorporating it into your daily routine, not treating it as a one-off for specific problems.
The irony is that strategy has the potential to make AI even more addictive than the smartphones it’s trying to replace.
But maybe that’s the point.
