The Disappearing Computer - and a World Where You Can Take AI Everywhere | Imran Chaudhri | TED 

11:16 "But I'm in total control..." Famous last words in every AI sci-fi movie.

This seems more like a commercial for his own product than it is a Ted Talk.

Who's here after MKBHD's review?

i am at rapid eye movement level of sleep from Imran's tranquil speech, its almost as if hes not selling, but guiding a meditation of a product.

Lot of words like "trust", "security" without ever going into how these wireless devices could be secure.

I'm just trying to stop people taking phone calls on speaker in public and this man is trying to make it the way we do everything.

I've seen this concept on Star Trek since the 80's. They use a communicator, it's a pin on their uniform. It can be tapped and keeps track of their location, health, etc., and they can speak to whoever they need to. It was just a prop but I didn't know this was being built. Edit: it was also used as a universal translator, translating for you in your own voice and translating what someone would tell you in their foreign language.

Nicholas Negroponte predicted this stuff in his 1995 book "Being Digital", so almost 30 years ago now, and Microsoft tried making it reality with Clippy, some 20 years before the technology was even close to mature, but it's truly fascinating how Negroponte predicted this type of digital assistants 30 years before they'll be a thing. He was truly spot on.

As an introvert, there is no way I would feel more comfortable talking to my devices in public rather than just using a screen privately and inconspicuously like normal.

I think if they can use the camera to see and interpret Sign Language and 'speak' in the speakers tailored AI voice, that would be the most impressive use of that technology. Double points if the person listening does the 'reading' of the hands and gestures and it speaks to them in the speakers voice.

I understand the sentiment of making tech interaction feel seamless, and in some respects, this approach works. Examine public spaces now and everyone has a smartphone in hand. Something like this could minimize physical device interaction while AI guides us throughout the day, either with a group or individually. However, we still have a strong affinity toward the visual whether it's a smartphone screen, laptop or a "spatial computing" device like the Vision Pro. I appreciate the innovation behind this product but it would be hard to supplant the power of a visually rich digital environment.

All you have to do is use your Air Pods Pro with Siri. As limited as Siri is, you can get an idea of how this might work. Siri reading messages; you asking questions. Now imagine it being 100x smarter like ChatGPT and able to actually respond with natural language. I would think an iPhone+Air Pods could do most of what this does eventually.

You can invent voice-based control all you want, that won't cange the fact that our visual sensory system is the most important/crucial one for awareness and processing information.

It's tech demos like this that make you appreciate how good Jobs really was.

Fast forward 11 months and it's clear that the interactions with the pin were rigged. Reviewers proved the pin never works that quickly and half the time doesn't work at all. 😵

- "I'm going to eat it anyway" - "Enjoy it, I'm calling an ambulance in advance"

Without a screen this is a hard sell for most people, but I don’t think he’s only trying to sell a product but also the philosophy behind the product. The point of it is so we can live more in the moment.

„Your Ai figures out what you need“. And at the same time we‘ll forget how to figure it out by outselves…

Let’s just hope we don’t get it wrong… but I LOVE how it takes the advantages of smartphones but puts us back in touch with each other, as opposed to stuck in our screens

Black Mirror season 6, June 2023

This reminds me how lucky I am to live in hawaii and able to enjoy the simple pleasures of nature's beauty. I find this increasingly bigger and bigger dependency on technology is creepy and intrusive. I work with computers. The last thing I want when I clock out is having one follow me around. Let's put our phones down for a moment and talk, listen, and enjoy each other without screens or ai.

This is pretty much the premise of the movie, Her. A wearable AI companion and communications device that can "see" the world and make decisions. It also has a projector, just like the device in Her.

Wow! I can't wait to see and use this! Excellent talk and subject Imran Chaudri, thank you!

I love this. The possibilities simple and complex... I imagine myself exercising, running through my music playlist without fumbling for my phone. That alone, this device is already bought!

Somebody somewhere is already working on the idea you’re thinking of right now - this is becoming truer than ever!

7:48 I like how he says "thank you" like he didnt just call an api from another company.

Im sick of getting addicted to all sorts of social media. At the same time, I want to communicate with my friends and use the really useful stuff like maps etc. This solves our addiction to nice, visual things. Awesome.

Interesting, i could see myself using this alongside my device. This is because as a Tec i need to see my victron ESS or DHCP, my virtual hypervisors, and lots of other statistics. I like the personal AI assistant. I've been looking at building a open source LLM Ai designed for me. Will be great if I get loaded onto this device.

Always there, always listening, and invisible...what could go wrong?

Two questions: 1) Would I need to get custom cut jackets/shirts going forward so that the device pokes out of the top like that everywhere I go to use the interface? 2) You said that the translator matched your tone and emotion, but then sounded relatively flat and emotionless. Did you test it with someone who is frantic, trying to say something like “they’re after me! They’re going to kill me!” and have it repeat it in another language…?

it has come a long way, I remember seeing another TED Talk back in 2009 by Pranav Mistry on wearable tech, same concept only with GPT on top and smaller.

THE EVOLUTION after the screens, is the interaction with other humans (again). THAT is what makes us happy and healthy.

I think the biggest hurdle here is that when you speak your voice goes everywhere and your device will pick up speech from a colleague or someone else on the bus. Microsoft has been trying for ages to get people to use voice as a tool to control their computers but with little success because of this. Admittedly I do use Google assistant on my phone a lot to look up stuff and even make calls to places I do not even have in my contacts these days, and that with a rather crude AI compared to what is possible today. But it really only works when I am either alone or I first have to ask everybody around me to shut up. Also, you cant really compare this with e.g. augmented reality - the whole point of AR/VR is to make a 3d environment exist around you, augmenting or replacing the real world in your vision. There is still truth to the saying that "a picture can tell a 1000 words" - and with so much we do in life, some kind of screen is endlessly more useful compared to a voice input/output device. What I'd like to see is that screens and keyboards are wireless and extremely easy to pair up with my phone as the actual computing device - that way screens in any form or any device around me can be used instantly on with my computer device. I also see that the future we will likely go back to a more terminal based computing, much like we use the web today - and the web browser is basically just a glorified terminal window. So your phone/device can be extremely simple as its only purpose is to act as such.

As physiotherapist i recommend add accelerometer in headphone to control some interactions by head movement. In addition it can give the possibility to control safety (pass out or sleep during driving). Headphones necessary should be "open" type, hanging on ear- not inside canal.

I want this! I can see Bluetooth earbuds connected for a quiet interaction. But this is the beginning of a StarTrek communicator. It all hinges on how good the AI is. ChatGPT has hiccups and we cannot just blatantly trust the results of searches. And you don’t have to connect this to a phone like an Apple Watch. Awesome.

I still remember an Australian series Girl from Tomorrow where a girl from far future visits at that time present Australia, her name is Elana and she brings with her an AI driven bracelet or hand band and she used to talk to her, I am talking about era of 90s I always wished to have such gadget and here we are finally ♥️

thats going to be a very good black mirror episode

The use of speech involves superseding an invisible threshold of personal quiet, which many people (particularly introverts) cherish. This is why keyboards still exist.

This paired with a pair of glasses that have speakers into your ear would be revolutionary!

This has incredible potential. Add in a couple of bio-sensors, some blue tooth earbuds and we're off..... 😎

can you imagine the bluetooth device (button, mic, speaker, camera) disguised as The Starfleet insignia badge would be cool af

Its amazing that around the world at the same time, multiple inventors work on the same thing without knowing it! I am currently developing an Open-Source equivalent to this. Love the work that has gone into the multi-finger gestures. I too have a similar concept but differs in technology.. Also the holographic screen is a nice touch 👌

I can't wait for this! The future is insanely promising.

I like that pitch in the beginning about the VR glasses.

I can tell you without a single doubt, there are going to be more people that want a screen to look at over a voice to listen to, by a HUGE margin. Won't even be a competition. This will be a niche product, just like the Google glasses, or that one bracelet that projected a screen to your wrist and so on. This will NEVER be as mainstream as a phone. There isn't even a 1% chance of that happening. The ONLY way a smartphone could EVER be replaced is via cybernetics or wearables that show you, and only you, a private screen in your line of sight, and sound ONLY you can hear. Otherwise, throw it in the garbage, because you're just gonna lose money on it.

So I guess if you prefer this to a phone then you don't really like taking pictures, browsing the web, or doing basically anything else we use a phone for? This is basically an improved Siri/Alexa not a phone replacement. I see the appeal of a little projector, but not as a total screen replacement. Furthermore, a good pair of VR/AR glasses in the future will look much more discreet, and be at a better angle for recording photos/videos and seeing what you're seeing. I'm afraid this exclusive preview did not convince me. That said, I REALLY look forward to Siri/Alexa 2.0 with GPT-level intelligence.

looking to see how this technology evolves. I am sure at some point it will sync with your smartphone and leverage the screen for other scenarios.

I cannot imagine everybody in public doing this at the same time everything is already chaotic

If you have head phones it would be cool if you can remember people's names so when you see them again they're alert you to whom you're talking to😊

A mobile phone is now a much more integrated part of a human that any new tech that aims to replace it would just not cut it. All of the AI power would still be doing all of this, much better on a phone. The way a phone behaves can make it seamless and disappear in the background, however the physical device, in some form, will remain for a longer time that people are hoping to replace it. Everything that he showed will be done via a phone app. User experience is the key. Google Glass had come close.

A watered down version of this but as an OS-agnostic smartphone companion with the same capabilities would be an instant hit!

I wasnt really focused on the product but the whole idea of "compute is disappearing". And with seeing the progression in todays tech i.e. AI, wearables, VR/AR etc i can deffo see the potential. The idea of reducing screen time by leveraging AI to do all sorts of stuff for you that youd normally do on your phone (non entertainment tasks) e.g. emails, calendars, replies etc. Etc. Is deffo the way forward. Pair this with holograms through AR glasses and even something being able to send voice commands through thought and that would cool

What kind of demo was that? He didn’t answer the call or hang up.. and even if he did, this would still be MILES from being practical, let alone useful or enjoyable.

I can't even imagine people walking around talking to this device and holding up my hand to see a crude display. It already feels archaic. This gives me Nintendo Virtual Boy vibes. Brain computer interfaces are the future, likely paired with AR glasses or lightweight visors, but even now, with eye tracking, you can interface with AR glasses without using your voice. There are experimental devices that project images directly into your eye rather than onto glasses lenses, which have a much lower profile and don't look like glasses at all. And why not just pair this with a smartwatch or give it a screen? Why go all in on a clunky voice interface? At best, this kind of tech will be a flash in the pan as much better technologies rapidly emerge. I would love to be able to openly chat with an uncensored version of chat GPT that remembers all past conversations and keeps track of my preferences, but I would much rather have that as a smart speaker in my house, which is what Google, Amazon and several other large companies are already working on. It's hard to innovate right now because the tech is evolving so fast, and maybe this company will get a momentary foothold with the novelty of this device, but they better be looking a few steps ahead if they hope to survive for any meaningful length of time...

So many questions still need to be answered here. But this has the potential to be huge.

I really like the idea where screens no longer necessary.

Seeing a bunch of negative comments comparing this to a phone. That’s not it, this is a far more seamless product with a service? that quite literally integrates Siri or goggle into our daily lives. As someone who has a ton of question’s throughout the day -unlocking your phone to search then getting distracted by something and investing more time in it. A device that simplifies this entire process of simplification of answering and asking( quite literally like jarvis from iron man) is truly innovative. This is still in the nascent stages and I truly see a great potential in this project

Yes. If that device will ever be out on the market, it´s mine. Totally love it.

A screen is necessary, one of the most important things for a phone is it’s apps and games. I agree that invisible tech is the way to go though as time goes on maybe AR glasses that look like normal glasses, hidden bone conduction earphones and a way to communicate with the device in public without everyone knowing

I can already see corporate companies keeping a watch on you. When are you eating, when are you sleeping, are you being productive? Why were you sleeping and not working? Micromanagement even at home. A human who has to work 24x7 and under constant supervision from government authorities, their employers, etc. Wow, what a prison! The famous stoic words "The best prison is when the prisoner does not realize that they are in a prison".

I am sure it will work perfectly in daylight! Also a very solid product for europe since the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will absolutely love this.

The speech part of the model using your own voice fluently is revolutionary if it works this well. I’m so very excited. As someone marrying a Spanish speaker and trying to talk to her Spanish only mother this would be great. It’s great for travelers and business and friendship.

This is a dope concept. Totally behind it

I'm impressed with the language translation function, along with it doing it in the user's AI'd voice. Personally I'd be amused if my AI warned me against some sort of food, and I was all "I'm going to eat it anyway," to have it say with a verbal eye roll, "Enjoy it; good luck."

I'm both incredibly excited and terrified of the potential of this - as an optimist, the QoL benefits are obviously huge, but my main fear is security - if you carry something with everything about you in it, what protections will that data have? I want the premise to succeed but need to be convinced I won't be an open book for anyone able to take the AI from me. How do we stop malicious actors or governments (different things?) from getting hold of all of the information as every social media network already does? Imagine someone stealing every experience your AI ever captured. "My AI" will need to be protected by law imho, so the legal field will need to get better/faster at reacting to emergent technology breakthroughs to protect us.

Wish we would have seen a conversation being translated in different languages between two people. Such as a person talking to him in French then device translating it in English then him speaking in English then the device translating it in French having an almost seamless conversation. The device would also know who is talking by knowing the sound of the user's voice.

Legal, realmente há muito que ainda pode ser feito. Mas me fica uma pergunta em relação a tecnologia dita no vídeo: como vamos ver imagens?

Amazing, definitely one to watch.

I apprceiate Humane's efforts but they are heavily betting on that AI will get there answers right the first time. My critique is the voice has to be crystal clear and not repetitive, or boredom will set in or worse frustation will set in. As a ux / industrial designer I hope they ran the mom test, if mom can easily use it then it could work but if she's frustrated with it, it may have to find its own niche market, perhaps exercising, policing, or maybe a safety companion? I see this device more as an "ADDOn" then a replacement for a screen phone but I think they may have something here for a more niche market. Again I appreciate Humane's efforts and look forward to hearing more about this device in the coming months. Well done for your efforts and I hope they keep pushing this idea forward.

It failed already when recommending a tourist trap as a destination for shopping. You can’t try to simplify human needs, which are more complex than the human (that AI is being trained to mimic) itself realizes most of the time.

Everything on speaker is a rough pitch. We live in busy, noisy, crowded cities, and we value our privacy.

There was this kids' sci-fi futuristic novel I read 20 years ago, about the dangers of embedding technology into your body. Basically the protagonist got lost in social media until she lost herself and her family. When she realized it, she needed multiple surgeries to get "the borg", so-to-speak, out of her, and go back to a normal, human life. It was a warning for youngsters. And we're heading right into it. I wish I could remember the title or author, though.

I don't see how this "kills" anything but itself.

This is a great start. Like the desktop, portable phone, smart watches...I'm sure there will be many permutations of computing devices that are continuing to develop that will help us... contact lenses, dental implants, glasses, earrings, dog collars... I want it all. Maintaining secure data is an illusion. That ship has sailed. This may be a way of containing some corner of it for personalization. My ideal would be a holographic, solar powered 'Jeeves' who walks beside me....

Who knows that probably one day this invention is going to be part of our daily life just like we use smartphone these days ..may be after 5 to 10 years smartphones will disapear by replacing futuristic devices like these anyway appreciation deserves for this revolutionary innovation❤ love from India

The quest for ambient computing is decades old. Whooooooo !!!!!!!

2009 - Pranav Mistry's 6th Sense Device 2023 - Humane's Screenless AI Tech 2 extremely similar devices set 14 years apart. Both presented on TED

if you're in an environment where you couldn't talk, what other options to make a query/typing? or you should just use your phone at that point? coz at this point this seems like an add-on for your phone like other wearable devices 🤔

Insightful talk. Just curious at the end of your talk, when you said it would help us get back into the world, what did you mean?

what is the name of this product

The MyAI movement has really picked up in the past few months with all the same features and goals of Humane. I'm a longtime fan of Humane but think they need to move faster. Humane is making a go at what the hardware looks like but it really just feels like @CaseyNeistat's BeMe with Siri/Google running GPT4. I'm not sure that occasionally projecting a screen is the best move. Personalized AI is incredibly powerful, and whoever can figure out the best interface will change the course of humanity.

"Sometimes we get a lot further in our art and in our lives when we let ourselves do a little of what comes easily and naturally. If you like to draw horses, stop drawing chairs. If you would love to take ballet, do it and let modern jazz be someone else’s winter sport. If you have a deep love for Broadway, tell Chopin you’ll be back. Painting your kitchen is creative. Putting bells on your kid’s school shoes is creative. Restructuring the office is creative. Getting the bad stuff tossed from the closet is creative." - Julia Cameron Create a new ritual. Try something creative today out of sheer enjoyment and post about it here.

To me, this would be better as a companion to my phone, with a screen in the form factor of a watch. In fact, with the magnetic attachment approach, it could play both the role of a watch and the presented use case. Would mostly be used with voice, but when i need to interact privately i could quickly type something. I the screen would be too small for me to stare at it all day, but big enough for quick interaction. Will be watching for gen 2 of this product.

“We cannot live in a world that is not our own, in a world that is interpreted for us by others. An interpreted world is not a home. Part of the terror is to take back our own listening, to use our own voice, to see our own light.” -Hildegard of Bingen

Isn't this what Pranav Mistry did with Sixth sense technology , 15 years back? It's on TED

This reminds me of the SixthSense device that was presented at TED in 2009, look it up (Pranav Mistry). It did not have the voice assistant, but they were doing a lot more with the camera and projector...

This would be excellent for communicating with people who speak different languages, etc. Very good

This idea is quite unrefined for what it actually aims to be. What aims to be might lead to complete chaos if privacy is not absolutely secured. On the other hand, it feels like not only a device like that is not disappearing, but it makes one’s world gradually disappear instead… The whole thing reminds me of that line in “I, Robot” “My logic is undeniable”

I love the idea it really amazing and fantabulous

I'm just wondering if there's a way for you to disable the access of the content which includes sensitive data or conversation from a meeting (remotely) if just in case you lost the device for safety purposes. Overall amazing talk😉

Seeing them officially launch 2 days ago (Nov 10) makes me believe how much Tech can change the world

Wow, i cant wait to see it in full production...

A smartphone could just get an app to do the same and more . Best part is that it comes with a screen if you want visual results

This seems like the hand over of thought. It's one thing to use technology to fix humanity's biggest challenges, it's another to replace everyday actions.

"Seeing what you see. Hearing what you hear." Tracking where you go, what you buy, who you associate with...

This is so Amazing, I wish him the best 🙏

Won’t this have the same privacy problems as google glass?

I look forward to learning more about this. My first impression is that it's cool but it won't gain wide adoption without some sort of screen like a watch or a touch slate. Privacy first means there needs to be a way to send text and images *privately*. Imran demonstrated this weakness by having to use a screen behind him in order to display an image of his daughter. Also, I don't see any feature that Apple or Google can't rapidly develop and deploy in order to retain their customer base. In order to cause people to jump ship, it needs to be so groundbreaking that a percentage of people are willing to justify giving up the benefits of the existing platform. Think Tesla. I'm just not seeing that yet. I don't mean to be a pessimist. I'd really like to see this take off. But adoption is key.

Considering the number of people who think that encryption should have a back door, how will this not be turned into an even more privacy-invasive tool for surveillance?

i understand what he's trying to build, a device that allows people to live in the moment instead of buried into a screen; people are going to consume content on a phone until the end of time.