In the introduction to the essay published on X by Nothing CEO Carl Pei on Wednesday, it almost sounds like he’s arguing against the premise of standalone AI devices.
In Pei’s post, he suggests AI’s “iPhone moment” is still several years away. This could read as though Nothing is holding its horses rather than diving into the fray right now. But that isn’t the case; in fact, it’s quite the opposite.
“Our first AI-native product ships next month,” Pei says. “It’s a tool, but one built with the personality and care that have come to define a Nothing product. It has no new screen, and it couldn’t have been an app.”
Pei is playing it characteristically coy. He’s dropping clues, and you can bet there will be more to come in the ensuing days and weeks up until the official launch of this mystery product.
Standalone AI devices are a burgeoning industry, even if they’re yet to result in a hugely compelling, must-have consumer product. Whether it be pins, pendants, glasses, headphones or tabletop devices, tech companies are flooding the market with new native AI devices. Some companies, such as OpenAI, are working on ideas behind closed doors, whereas others, such as AI note-taking experts Plaud, are already establishing a strong and loyal customer base.
British startup Nothing is predominantly known for its retro-inspired audio products and cool smartphones, around which the company is building a cult following as an alternative to more mainstream, generic phone companies. It’s more closely aligned with lifestyle and fashion brands than most of its tech brethren. In spite of this, it sounds like its first AI device will be more work than play.
Just like computers, AI will need to prove itself in the realm of productivity — the workplace — before it spills over into being truly useful and appreciated in our personal lives, writes Pei. And so, Nothing is building a tool for the workplace, albeit one with the company’s customary design-forward approach.
“We were taught that seriousness and beauty could not share a room,” says Pei. But he wants you to know that work tools can be beautiful, and he promises Nothing’s will be.
This is all very mysterious — perhaps more so because the image accompanying Pei’s post actually looks like it could be a snapshot of one of many different smartphones from the past decade or more. The simple black rectangle with one rounded corner looks distinctly unlike a Nothing device, and something a less imaginative tech company might produce.
We shouldn’t be fooled by this, though. Nothing has yet to bore us with a design, and it seems unlikely to start now — especially after Pei’s treatise on the subject. No doubt there will be more hints forthcoming, as Nothing gears up to persuade you that its products belong just as much in your office as at a warehouse rave in Berlin, and that its approach to AI is essential to your workflow above and beyond the offerings of its strait-laced competitors.
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