Are Wearables The Future of AI?

Hello,

This is Simon with the latest edition of The Weekly. In these updates, I share key AI related stories from this week's news, list upcoming events, and share any longer form articles posted on the website.

A hallmark of traditional AI, like machine learning, is that it operates primarily in the background. The idea of being an “end user” wasn’t clear at all—when applying for a credit card, most people had no idea their application was being evaluated by an AI model to determine not just approval, but also credit limits. In this sense, generative AI is fundamentally different, especially since the launch of OpenAI’s GPT-3, which introduced the now-familiar conversational interface. The technology itself was a huge leap in what AI could accomplish, but, crucially, it also made these capabilities accessible to anyone with a computer and an internet connection. This is why its adoption rate has been among the fastest in history: anyone could log on and interact with a highly sophisticated AI model, seeing instant results.

ChatGPT reached 1 million users in just 5 days. For comparison: Netflix took 1,278 days, Facebook 304 days, Instagram 75 days, and TikTok 9 months to reach the same milestone. Source

Since OpenAI acquired Jony Ive’s agency, strong rumors have circulated about a forthcoming AI device, expected to have no traditional interface or screen. In fact, there are already products like the AI Pendent available on the market. Meanwhile, we already see products like Meta’s AI glasses (collaborating with Ray-Ban and Oakley), which allow for hands-free AI experiences. In many ways, AI has quietly become a hands-free assistant for many, whether through Alexa, Google Home, or other voice-activated devices.

We’re also seeing new web browsers, such as Perplexity’s Comet. While still text-based, they provide new ways to interact with web content compared to traditional browsers.

It seems unlikely that text-driven interfaces will disappear entirely, but it’s clear that voice and visual modes will play a much larger role in our AI experiences going forward.

Do you own a pair of Meta’s AI Glasses? Would you feel comfortable with a company potentially seeing and hearing almost everything you do?

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In this new section, I’m going to bring to you a real world example of AI use.

Covasant Technologies has created something called an AI Agent Control Tower in Hyderabad, India. It’s essentially a hub for managing multiple AI agents, letting organisations oversee what many agents are doing from one place.

Why it matters: Systems of AI agents can grow complex fast. A control tower can help companies avoid chaos, better visibility, coordination, and reliability.

A UK startup called Fyxer AI, has raised $30 million to expand into the US. Already working with big firms in the UK, they plan to build more product, hire more people, and grow their US presence.

Why it matters: While not fully agent-level yet, this shows that the demand for AI tools that take on assistant-type, workflow-helping tasks is growing, and investors are willing to back it.

Cybersecurity experts are warning that autonomous AI agents are getting close to being able to launch stealthy attacks that are hard to trace, basically AI that picks victims via personal vulnerabilities rather than blanket software bugs. This has people calling for new defensive AI tools capable of detecting and responding to these threats.

Why it matters: Every powerful tech has a risk side. As AI agents become more capable, the potential for misuse or harm (intentional or by accident) also grows. Understanding risk is part of understanding the tech.

Thanks for reading, and see you next Friday.

Simon,

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