AI's inexorable jump from software to hardware
In the past few weeks Google and Meta have launched new hardware with generative AI smarts built in, while OpenAI is reportedly planning to launch its own phone.
First the advent of OpenAI's ChatGPT was thought to be a threat to Google's search dominance. Now, almost a year later, artificial intelligence is moving into a new phase. This time the icon being taken on is Apple's iPhone.
Two weeks ago it was widely reported that OpenAI is working with Johnny Ive, the designer of the original iPhone, on a mobile device built around the firm's GPT technology. Since then, both Google and Meta have unveiled new product lines that feature deep AI integration.
Google's new Pixel 8 phones have the company's AI imbedded in its software. Google Assistant, the company's version of Siri, is powered by its Bard AI chatbot within the phone. It can give you a rundown of the unread emails in your inbox, summarise the information on a webpage you're on, create Instagram-ready captions for your photos and more. The improvements are iterative, but show where phone software will be going in the coming years.
For a glimpse further into the future, you may want to look through Mark Zuckerberg's RayBan Meta smartglasses. The tech giant has collaborated with RayBan on a pair of specs in the past, but this edition comes loaded with Meta AI assistant. You can speak to the AI by talking to it through your glasses, with responses to questions floating in front of your eyes.
