The AI-powered Rabbit R1 device is seen at Rabbit Inc.'s headquarters in Santa Monica, California. The gadget is meant to serve as a personal assistant fulfilling tasks such as ordering food on DoorDash for you, calling an Uber or booking your family's vacation. Stella Kalinina for NPR hide caption
The AI-powered Rabbit R1 device is seen at Rabbit Inc.'s headquarters in Santa Monica, California. The gadget is meant to serve as a personal assistant fulfilling tasks such as ordering food on DoorDash for you, calling an Uber or booking your family's vacation.
ChatGPT can give you travel ideas, but it won't book your flight to Cancn.
Now, artificial intelligence is here to help us scratch items off our to-do lists.
A slate of tech startups are developing products that use AI to complete real-world tasks.
Silicon Valley watchers see this new crop of "AI agents" as being the next phase of the generative AI craze that took hold with the launch of chatbots and image generators.
Last year, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, nodded to the future of AI errand-helpers at the company's developer conference.
"Eventually, you'll just ask a computer for what you need, and it'll do all of these tasks for you," Altman said.
One of the most hyped companies doing this is called Rabbit. It has developed a device called the Rabbit R1. Chinese entrepreneur Jesse Lyu launched it at this year's CES, the annual tech trade show, in Las Vegas.
It's a bright orange gadget about half the size of an iPhone. It has a button on the side that you push and talk into like a walkie-talkie. In response to a request, an AI-powered rabbit head pops up and tries to fulfill whatever task you ask.
Chatbots like ChatGPT rely on technology known as a large language model, and Rabbit says it uses both that system and a new type of AI it calls a "large action model." In basic terms, it learns how people use websites and apps and mimics these actions after a voice prompt.
It won't just play a song on Spotify, or start streaming a video on YouTube, which Siri and other voice assistants can already do, but Rabbit will order DoorDash for you, call an Uber, book your family's vacation. And it makes suggestions after learning a user's tastes and preferences.
Storing potentially dozens or hundreds of a person's passwords raises instant questions about privacy. But Rabbit claims it saves user credentials in a way that makes it impossible for the company, or anyone else, to access someone's personal information. The company says it will not sell or share user data with third parties "without your formal, explicit permission."
A Rabbit employee demonstrates the company's Rabbit R1 device. The company says more than 80,000 people have preordered the device for $199. Stella Kalinina for NPR hide caption
A Rabbit employee demonstrates the company's Rabbit R1 device. The company says more than 80,000 people have preordered the device for $199.
The company, which says more than 80,000 people have preordered the Rabbit R1, will start shipping the devices in the coming months.
"This is the first time that AI exists in a hardware format," said Ashley Bao, a spokeswoman for Rabbit at the company's Santa Monica, Calif., headquarters. "I think we've all been waiting for this moment. We've had our Alexa. We've had our smart speakers. But like none of them [can] perform tasks from end to end and bring words to action for you."
Excitement in Silicon Valley over AI agents is fueling an increasingly crowded field of gizmos and services. Google and Microsoft are racing to develop products that harness AI to automate busywork. The web browser Arc is building a tool that uses an AI agent to surf the web for you. Another startup, called Humane, has developed a wearable AI pin that projects a display image on a user's palm. It's supposed to assist with daily tasks and also make people pick up their phones less frequently.
Similarly, Rabbit claims its device will allow people to get things done without opening apps (you log in to all your various apps on a Rabbit web portal, so it uses your credentials to do things on your behalf).
To work, the Rabbit R1 has to be connected to Wi-Fi, but there is also a SIM card slot, in case people want to buy a separate data plan just for the gadget.
When asked why anyone would want to carry around a separate device just to do something your smartphone could do in 30 seconds, Rabbit spokesman Ryan Fenwick argued that using apps to place orders and make requests all day takes longer than we might imagine.
"We are looking at the entire process, end to end, to automate as much as possible and make these complex actions much quicker and much more intuitive than what's currently possible with multiple apps on a smartphone," Fenwick said.
ChatGPT's introduction in late 2022 set off a frenzy at companies in many industries trying to ride the latest tech industry wave. That chatbot exuberance is about to be transferred to the world of gadgets, said Duane Forrester, an analyst at the firm Yext.
Google and Microsoft are racing to develop products that harness AI to automate busywork, which might make other AI-powered assistants obsolete. Stella Kalinina for NPR hide caption
Google and Microsoft are racing to develop products that harness AI to automate busywork, which might make other AI-powered assistants obsolete.
"Early on, with the unleashing of AI, every single product or service attached the letters "A" and "I" to whatever their product or service was," Forrester said. "I think we're going to end up seeing a version of that with hardware as well."
Forrester said an AI walkie-talkie might quickly become obsolete when companies like Apple and Google make their voice assistants smarter with the latest AI innovations.
"You don't need a different piece of hardware to accomplish this," he said. "What you need is this level of intelligence and utility in our current smartphones, and we'll get there eventually."
Researchers are worried that AI-powered personal assistant technology could eventually go wrong. Stella Kalinina for NPR hide caption
Researchers are worried that AI-powered personal assistant technology could eventually go wrong.
Researchers are worried about where such technology could eventually go awry.
The AI assistant purchasing the wrong nonrefundable flight, for instance, or sending a food order to someone else's house are among potential snafus that analysts have mentioned.
A 2023 paper by the Center for AI Safety warned against AI agents going rogue. It said if an AI agent is given an "open-ended goal" say, maximize a person's stock market profits without being told how to achieve that goal, it could go very wrong.
"We risk losing control over AIs as they become more capable. AIs could optimize flawed objectives, drift from their original goals, become power-seeking, resist shutdown, and engage in deception. We suggest that AIs should not be deployed in high-risk settings, such as by autonomously pursuing open-ended goals or overseeing critical infrastructure, unless proven safe," according to a summary of the paper.
At Rabbit's Santa Monica office, Rabbit R1 Creative Director Anthony Gargasz pitches the device as a social media reprieve. Use it to make a doctor's appointment or book a hotel without being sucked into an app's feed for hours.
"Absolutely no doomscrolling on the Rabbit R1," said Gargasz. "The scroll wheel is for intentional interaction."
His colleague Ashley Bao added that the whole point of the gadget is to "get things done efficiently." But she acknowledged there's a cutesy factor too, comparing it to the keychain-size electronic pets that were popular in the 1990s.
"It's like a Tamagotchi but with AI," she said.
Excerpt from:
AI agents like Rabbit aim to book your vacation and order your Uber - NPR
- European parliament prepares tough measures over use of AI - Financial Times [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Nvidia stock surges on dominant A.I. market position, buy recommendation from HSBC - Fox Business [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Bloomberg plans to integrate GPT-style A.I. into its terminal - CNBC [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Deepfake porn could be a growing problem amid AI race - The Associated Press [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Workforce ecosystems and AI - Brookings Institution [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Adobe Lightroom AI Feature Tackles a Massive Problem With Photos - CNET [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- How artificial intelligence is matching drugs to patients - BBC [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- These are the tech jobs most threatened by ChatGPT and A.I. - CNBC [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Elon Musk Launches X.AI To Fight ChatGPT Woke AI, Says Twitter Is Breakeven - Forbes [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Two late iconic Israeli singers have been resurrected via AI for a ... - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- AI anxiety: The workers who fear losing their jobs to artificial ... - BBC [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Grandma exploit tricks Discords AI chatbot into breaking its rules - Polygon [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Commonwealth joins forces with global tech organisations to ... - Commonwealth [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- The power players of retail transformation: IoT, 5G, and AI/ML on Microsoft Cloud - CIO [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- AI is the word as Alphabet and Meta get ready for earnings - MarketWatch [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Purdue launches nation's first Institute of Physical AI (IPAI), recruiting ... - Purdue University [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Will AI ever reach human-level intelligence? We asked 5 experts - The Conversation [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- The next arms race: China leverages AI for edge in future wars - The Japan Times [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Amazon Unleashes Bedrock: The Game-Changing AI Cloud Service Powering the Future of Tech - Yahoo Finance [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Atlassian taps OpenAI to make its collaboration software smarter - CNBC [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Dating an AI? Artificial Intelligence dating app founder predicts the future of AI relationships - Fox News [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Military Tech Execs Tell Congress an AI Pause Is 'Close to Impossible' - Gizmodo [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Philips Future Health Index shows providers plan to invest in AI - Healthcare Finance News [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Reddit Wants to Get Paid for Helping to Teach Big A.I. Systems - The New York Times [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- OpenAIs CEO Says the Age of Giant AI Models Is Already Over - WIRED [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- 9 Resources to Make the Most of Generative AI - WIRED [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Impact of AI on higher education panel event May 3 - Boise State University [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Microsoft reportedly working on its own AI chips that may rival Nvidia's - The Verge [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Deepfake porn could be a growing problem amid AI race - The Associated Press [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- AI cameras: More than 2 on two-wheelers, even if children, will invite fine - Onmanorama [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- How artificial intelligence is matching drugs to patients - BBC [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- These are the tech jobs most threatened by ChatGPT and A.I. - CNBC [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Will Generative AI Supplant or Supplement Hollywoods Workforce? - Variety [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Marrying Human Interaction and AI with Navid Alipour - Healio [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Competition authorities need to move fast and break up AI - Financial Times [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- 5 AI Projects to Try Right Now - IGN [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Financial Services Will Embrace Generative AI Faster Than You Think - Andreessen Horowitz [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Grandma exploit tricks Discords AI chatbot into breaking its rules - Polygon [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- US FTC leaders will target AI that violates civil rights or is deceptive - Reuters [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Why open-source generative AI models are an ethical way forward ... - Nature.com [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Religion against the machine: Pope Francis takes on AI - Euronews [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Fujitsu launches AI platform Fujitsu Kozuchi, streamlining access to ... - Fujitsu [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Commonwealth joins forces with global tech organisations to ... - Commonwealth [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- In this era of AI photography, I no longer believe my eyes - The Guardian [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- AI is the word as Alphabet and Meta get ready for earnings - MarketWatch [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Google CEO Sundar Pichai warns society to brace for impact of A.I. acceleration, says its not for a company to decide' - CNBC [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Purdue launches nation's first Institute of Physical AI (IPAI), recruiting ... - Purdue University [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- We soon wont tell the difference between AI and human music so can pop survive? - The Guardian [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Atlassian brings an AI assistant to Jira and Confluence - TechCrunch [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- How DARPA wants to rethink the fundamentals of AI to include trust - The Register [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Dating an AI? Artificial Intelligence dating app founder predicts the future of AI relationships - Fox News [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- Snapchat expands chatbot powered by ChatGPT to all users, creates AI-generated images - Fox Business [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- ChatGPT sparks AI investment bonanza - DW (English) [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- AI-generated spam may soon be flooding your inbox -- and it will be personalized to be especially persuasive - The Conversation [Last Updated On: April 20th, 2023] [Originally Added On: April 20th, 2023]
- AI predictions for the new year - POLITICO - POLITICO [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: January 4th, 2024]
- Intel Hires HPE's Justin Hotard To Lead Data Center And AI Group - CRN [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: January 4th, 2024]
- At Morgan State, seeking AI that is both smart and fair - Baltimore Sun [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: January 4th, 2024]
- Opinion | A.I. Use by Law Enforcement Must Be Strictly Regulated - The New York Times [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: January 4th, 2024]
- UBS boosts AI revenue forecast by 40%, calls industry the 'tech theme of the decade' - CNBC [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: January 4th, 2024]
- AI is here and everywhere: 3 AI researchers look to the challenges ahead in 2024 - The Conversation Indonesia [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: January 4th, 2024]
- What software developers using ChatGPT can tell us about how it's changing work - Quartz [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: January 4th, 2024]
- AI and satellite data helped uncover the ocean's 'dark vessels' - Popular Science [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: January 4th, 2024]
- 2024 health tech budgets to be driven by AI tools, automation - STAT [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: January 4th, 2024]
- Samsung's new phones replace Google AI with Baidu in China - The Verge [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: January 28th, 2024]
- Researchers Say the Deepfake Biden Robocall Was Likely Made With Tools From AI Startup ElevenLabs - WIRED [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: January 28th, 2024]
- Satya Nadella says the explicit Taylor Swift AI fakes are 'alarming and terrible' - The Verge [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: January 28th, 2024]
- One month with Microsoft's AI vision of the future: Copilot Pro - The Verge [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2024]
- Nvidia's Q4 Earnings Blow Past Expectations as Company Benefits From AI Boom - Investopedia [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2024]
- HOUSE LAUNCHES BIPARTISAN TASK FORCE ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE - Congressman Ted Lieu [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2024]
- What is AI governance? - Cointelegraph [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2024]
- Scale AI to set the Pentagon's path for testing and evaluating large language models - DefenseScoop [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2024]
- Can AI help us forecast extreme weather? - Vox.com [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2024]
- Google launches Gemini Business AI, adds $20 to the $6 Workspace bill - Ars Technica [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2024]
- AI and You: OpenAI's Sora Previews Text-to-Video Future, First Ivy League AI Degree - CNET [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2024]
- Tor Books Criticized for Use of AI-Generated Art in 'Gothikana' Cover Design - Publishers Weekly [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2024]
- Generative AI's environmental costs are soaring and mostly secret - Nature.com [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2024]
- Energy companies tap AI to detect defects in an aging grid - E&E News by POLITICO [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2024]
- Intel Launches World's First Systems Foundry Designed for the AI Era - Investor Relations :: Intel Corporation (INTC) [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2024]
- Google Just Released Two Open AI Models That Can Run on Laptops - Singularity Hub [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2024]
- The Samsung Galaxy S23 series will get AI features in late March - The Verge [Last Updated On: August 18th, 2024] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2024]