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(Bloomberg Opinion) — Where are all the artificial intelligence consumer gadgets?\u00a0Even a year ago,\u00a0it seemed tech companies were working to incorporate the technology into every physical device, from coffee makers to vacuums, making \u201cAI-powered\u201d\u00a0hardware seem like it would soon be as ubiquitous as \u201cbattery-powered\u201d electronics.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Typically, tech conferences offer a\u00a0glimmer\u00a0of these futuristic toys. Not all of them end up hitting the market, but it\u2019s where we can dream a little about new pocket devices or household robots taking on a greater role in our lives. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
So it was a little disappointing last week at Asia\u2019s biggest artificial intelligence conference, Taiwan\u2019s Computex, to find hardly any mentions of consumer-facing tech. Most keynotes focused on enterprise applications of AI, such as agents or automated manufacturing. Walking around the exhibitors\u2019\u00a0hall, the only thing that caught my eye were wireless computer mice shaped like cats. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
A few things seem to have changed. For starters, there\u2019s the reality that hardware engineering presents an entirely different set of physical challenges compared to tinkering with AI software.\u00a0And a global trade war also makes it a risky time to launch a new gadget when\u00a0it\u2019s unclear if consumers are interested. Companies also may be starting to pick up on the fact that while Wall Street is awash with global hype on the AI boom, it isn\u2019t exactly a selling point on Main Street. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
If anything, some of the executives speaking at the conference threw cold water on the next generations of these AI-first consumer products. Asustek Computer Inc. co-Chief Executive Officer Samson Hu told Bloomberg News that it will take another year or more for AI-powered PCs to go mainstream because the technology isn\u2019t quite there yet and macroeconomic uncertainty is impacting people\u2019s spending. There\u00a0have been few compelling use cases for AI PCs so far, despite the mountain of promotion.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Meanwhile, the graveyard of AI hardware that was supposed to transform our lives is already growing. The Humane Ai Pin\u00a0wearable device \u2014\u00a0 launched last year to much hype about how it was going to replace the smartphone\u00a0\u2014 ended up receiving brutal reviews\u00a0while being a fire hazard. The startup,\u00a0run by two former Apple Inc. employees, stopped selling the Ai Pin earlier this year and was sold for parts. The Rabbit R1 assistant is another cautionary tale of the false promises of these gadgets.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
But that doesn\u2019t mean the future of AI consumer products isn\u2019t coming. OpenAI made the major\u00a0announcement\u00a0last week that it is working with legendary iPhone designer Jony Ive to launch something that takes AI into the physical realm for consumers.\u00a0But even the might of OpenAI\u2019s technology and Ive\u2019s design prowess make\u00a0whatever it is a far from certain bet.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
There were perhaps some lessons for the future of such devices from the gathering in Taiwan. During his keynote speech, Qualcomm Inc.\u00a0Chief Executive Officer Cristiano Amon said that AI computers are at the phase where they\u00a0will require the work of outside developers to make them appeal to consumers.\u00a0The iPhone, for example, didn\u2019t take off immediately after it was launched. But it became essential to so many people because of the myriad apps\u00a0developers built on top of it that we now use\u00a0to hail taxis, order food or\u00a0move around new cities.\u00a0\u201cReally, the developer ecosystem is going to make this shift to AI PCs,\u201d Amon said. He\u2019s right, and the same is true beyond just AI computers. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
For any revolutionary AI hardware device, and especially a smartphone killer, the more that global developers lead the charge to meet peoples\u2019 needs and solve small, everyday problems, the more likely\u00a0they are\u00a0to succeed. In this economy, maybe that doesn\u2019t mean\u00a0repackaging the same old gadgets with shiny new AI labels. It means iterating and perfecting real use cases that incorporate the buzzy technology into devices and make our lives easier.\u00a0And this will inevitably\u00a0be a collective effort.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
AI is already transforming our world in small ways. I find asking ChatGPT to quickly translate phrases for me while on the go a lifesaver when navigating a new country. But I hardly want to shell out money to carry around a new device simply to access ChatGPT.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The more the tech industry tries to slap AI onto everything and market it as a panacea for all our problems, the more I get a snake-oil salesman ick. The future of AI hardware won\u2019t come in a magical new gadget, it will be built by tackling these tasks one-by-one and\u00a0not all at once.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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This column reflects the personal views of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n