Following the boom in the AI industry after the release of ChatGPT, many products that have implemented AI in their systems have become more prevalent, making the concept of artificial intelligence more familiar to civilians. Humane, one of the numerous start-ups of Silicon Valley, utilizes AI to create innovative technology, but with a unique vision; they wish to cut off our reliance on cell phones by providing an alternative.
Humane was set up by Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, a husband and wife duo who used to work in Apple during the late 2000’s and early 2010’s, who eventually left the company to create their own business. They eventually landed on the purpose of reducing the grip of the iPhone on modern society. The resulting device is in the form of a small pin with a miniature screen attached to it. Operating by voice commands from the user, the device projects a light onto the user’s hand which acts as the screen display. The user can then control the device by making simple movements with the hand. As it is run by AI, it can have conversations with the user, acting as an alternative Siri, but this time as capable as ChatGPT.
Although the device realizes the sci-fi fantasies of hologram phones, its purpose of getting rid of our cell phone addictions seems a bit unrealistic. Despite the honorable statement, I believe the product would either create a new addiction and become the new cell phone or simply become an additional asset, still shadowed by our iPhones.
Cell phone addiction is rampant in the modern world, and that does not exclude our own school. As the phone restrictions are released from 9th grade and onwards, students can be found in hallways immersed in their devices, and I am not an exception. Social media and video games are especially a problem. I often find myself thinking of playing video games first thing in the morning, craving for recess to get a round or two in. If Humane wants its new device to get us away from our phones, they must address these predominant addictions—but replacing our phones with another technology seems to be repeating the same cycle again.
