When Humane announced the Ai Pin last year, it seemed like the company was “fixing” a problem we didn’t have. The wearable is essentially a phone without a screen, focused entirely on AI with voice input at the center. A few months later came the Rabbit r1, which brought a new type of AI behavior: the r1 could use some phone apps on your behalf.
These gadgets made it seem like we’re about to be inundated with AI products in the coming years, including the “AI iPhone” that Jony Ive and Sam Altman are probably working on. But we already have AI installed on our main computers, as well as the iPhones and Android phones we use every day. All they need is a suitable AI.
Cut to this month as OpenAI and Google deliver massive AI upgrades. ChatGPT’s GPT-4o model is now available to everyone, including free plan users. Google has included Gemini in all its products, including Android, which will have AI at its core. And already it looks like GPT-4o and Gemini features coming to phones and web are ready to kill devices like Ai Pin and r1.
Ai Pin’s big advantage is a custom AI that handles voice commands flawlessly so you can focus on being in the moment. Real-life tests have shown that the AI doesn’t always work well and that battery life can be problematic.
But why even buy an Ai Pin for $700 without including the second data plan when you have GPT-4o on your phone right now? The new model handles voice commands brilliantly, and chats with AI are starting to sound more and more like the conversations we have with other people.
You can interrupt the AI without it losing its train of thought, so you can update your prompts. ChatGPT’s voice also sounds shockingly human.
In addition, GPT-4o allows you to display AI images and video and ask questions about them. All you have to do is power up your phone and give the GPT-4o “eyes”. This is a much better experience than Ai Pin. Also, the battery will last longer and there is no cost involved.
Gemini Assistant will get similar capabilities later this fall, possibly after the launch of Android 15. Google demonstrated Project Astra agents that work just like ChatGPT’s voice capabilities after the GPT-4o update.
ChatGPT can’t control apps for you, at least not for now. Neither do the Geminis. But the latter is built into every app and service that Google offers. Interestingly, Google has created a new trip planner in Gemini that will let you give complex instructions to the AI. Here’s an example from Google:
My family and I are going to Miami for Labor Day. My son loves art and my husband really wants fresh seafood. Can you download my flight and hotel information from Gmail and help me plan the weekend?
Gemini will take into account your preferences, prepare booking schedules and travel times and offer personalized itinerary suggestions. Gemini does not process the bookings themselves, nor does it process payments. But if Gemini can plan a vacation for you now, I guess it can also make the necessary purchases in a future release.
Why use a device like the Rabbit r1, which is an Android app running on what is essentially an Android phone, when the Gemini already gets there?
I expect other companies will want to offer similar AI assistant capabilities in the coming months and years. Microsoft can adapt GPT-4o for its own needs. And Meta can add voice to its AIs. Then there’s Apple. The iPhone maker needs to integrate AI features into its products in ways that only Google can.
As for this “iPhone of AI”, I’m already starting to wonder if we really need it if AI on phones is about to get so much better. I’m starting to understand why Sam Altman got annoyed that we might not want new products to use good AI in a recent interview.
