The competition to build the iPhone of artificial intelligence is heating up. The latest contender in this race is a technology startup named Rabbit, which recently unveiled its innovative product – the Rabbit r1.
Introducing the Rabbit r1
The Rabbit r1 is a small, orange, walkie-talkie style device that uses “AI agents” to carry out tasks on behalf of the user. During a pre-recorded keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Rabbit’s founder Jesse Lyu demonstrated the device’s capabilities. He asked the device to plan a vacation to London, and the device responded by designing an itinerary and booking the trip. He also ordered a pizza, booked an Uber, and taught the device how to generate an image using Midjourney.
A New Hardware Category
The Rabbit r1 is part of an increasingly active new hardware category: portable AI-first devices that interact with users in natural language, eschewing screens and app-based operating systems. Retailing at $199, the r1 is a cheaper competitor to the Humane Ai Pin, a $699 wearable device unveiled in November that offers a similar suite of capabilities, and the $299 Meta and Rayban smart-glasses, which have an AI-powered assistant.
Betting on AI
Prominent tech investors are betting that the new advances in AI, like large language models (LLMs), will open up new vistas of personalized computing. OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman is an investor in Humane. Altman and Softbank’s Masayoshi Son are reportedly in talks to design a separate AI hardware product with iPhone designer Jony Ive. Rabbit is funded to the tune of $30 million led by the billionaire
Large Action Model: The Future of AI
Rabbit’s r1 is based on a new type of AI system called a “large action model,” as Lyu explained during his keynote unveiling the device. Rabbit’s large action model is trained on graphical user interfaces like websites and apps, which means it can navigate interfaces designed for humans and take actions on their behalf.
Insiders View
The Rabbit r1 represents a significant step forward in the field of AI, bringing us closer to a future where AI devices are as ubiquitous and user-friendly as the iPhone. As the race heats up, it will be fascinating to see what other innovations emerge in this exciting new era of personalized computing.
