Scaling generative AI: harnessing the familiarity of the PC and smart phone

The biggest reason why generative AI is going to take off is that runs off the PC and smartphone. No unfamiliar new devices or changes in user behaviour are required, as is the case with AR, VR, XR, and MR applications. At most, you will need to remember that you have a CoPilot key on the keyboard while you navigate the familiar interface of your next notebook or desktop PC.

Persuading users to make radical changes to how they consume and interact with information is going to make it tough for companies like Rabbit and Humane to gain mainstream acceptance for their AI-powered Pin and r1 devices. While I am sure that there will be an initial wave of enthusiasts willing to try out these new devices, asking consumers and businesspeople to replace their familiar smartphone with what is essentially a smart pager (if you remember those) is quite a stretch to put it mildly. The fate of the Amazon Alexa provides a cautionary tale of the risks involved in moving to a voice-centric business model.

Apple faces a similar challenge in changing user behaviour when its Vision Pro spatial computer hits the US market in February this year, though it has the luxury of time, resources, and a loyal customer base to take a much more measured approach than start-ups like Rabbit and Humane. The initial price of $3,500 is very sensible since it will only attract people who are truly interested in getting to grips with the new applications and usage models the Vision Pro enables. This will in turn give Apple an extended breathing space to iron out any issues it finds in the product and optimize its applications and usage models before taking the system into the mainstream market.

In the meantime, the momentum behind generative AI will continue to rise as more and more ground-breaking applications harness the familiarity of the PC and smartphone to reach global markets at scale.