FILE PHOTO – As the race to build bigger and smarter large language model simmers down, signs are here already of a growing fad in the AI hardware segment.
| Photo Credit: John Locher
As the race to build the bigger and smarter large language model simmers down, signs are here already of a growing fad in the AI hardware segment. And the ongoing Consumer Electronics Show or CES 2024 in Las Vegas is more evidence that next spate of “smart” and wearable devices will be AI-powered. Never mind, the larger manufacturers that are selling AI PCs, a relatively unknown AI consumer startup, Rabbit Inc. caught the collective imagination with an orange, pocket-sized device called the r1.
Described as an “AI agent” that can use all your apps for you, the device reportedly sold 20,000 units over a span of two days. Founder Jesse Lyu demonstrated what it could do at the keynote presentation – he booked himself a vacation to London, ordered a pizza and booked an Uber all before teaching it how to produce an image using AI image generator, Midjourney. In a sense, it works like a super app while also having a dedicated training zone where it can learn how to do say, Photoshop. Besides, this it also has a camera for video calls and can scan your surroundings to search for specific objects.
With a small 2.88-inch touchscreen display, the r1 runs on the company’s own custom operating system, Rabbit OS. The OS is based on what Lyu called a “Large Action Model” or LAM instead of a Large Language Model which does the heavy-lifting of controlling your apps and doing the required tasks. Users can command tasks using natural language instructions with the voice assistant.
Essentially, it can almost replace a phone while needing you to simply talk to it. But what really sent these flying off the shelves was that it retails at an affordable $199.
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Other bigwigs have already started moving towards either making their own specialised AI compact hardware devices or investing in startups that do the same.
Case in point: Sam Altman-backed San Francisco startup, Humane which unveiled its Ai Pin in November last year.
The pin has a laser display that can be projected onto the user’s hand. Otherwise, the device is screenless and follows user instructions through voice like the r1. Founded by former Apple execs, Humane intends to liberate people from the mousetrap of the permanent mobile phone screen. While having its own app-less OS called Cosmos just like the r1, the system calls upon AI large language models like OpenAI’s GPT-4 to complete tasks like making calls, translating text, setting reminders or searching for information.
The company also plans to work in tandem with developers to add more features like shopping and navigation in the future. The device will reportedly start shipping from March this year.
The ambition to become the iPhone for the AI age is a lofty goal and needless to say full of hiccups.
A couple of days back, Humane announced that it had laid off 4 percent of the staff to cut costs. The steep $699 price tag on the device also raised eyebrows.
Predictably, a pack of naysayers have already deemed these devices redundant arguing that they could have easily been apps. Users also tend to return to their phones eventually despite new age devices.
But investors like Vinod Khosla, who backs Rabbit and Altman believe that AI devices are the final frontier.
“Eventually, you’ll just ask a computer for what you need, and it will do all of these tasks for you,” Altman
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