Artificial intelligence is a buzzword at the moment, with the likes of Apple, Google and Microsoft having all thrown their digital hats in to the ring. Even Mark Zuckerberg, billionaire founder of Facebook, has decided to have a go (his project this year is to build a ‘Jarvis’ – the artificial intelligence that powers the Iron Man suit in the mythical Marvel universe).
Up until now, early versions have appeared baked into mobile phones and computers. They require a user to pull out said device, and either speak the right words (“okay, Google”) or press a button before speaking their request. But, no matter how small a gesture is needed, it still requires a tiny bit of effort on the user’s part. Fret not, because the next big thing in AI won’t live in your pocket or sit on your desktop. It exists in a pair of discreet, wireless earbuds that act as an in-ear assistant.
This technology is not so much science fiction, but coming to an ear near you soon. Sony recently debuted its in-ear assistant, the Xperia Ear. Bragi Dash, a talking, bio-monitoring earbud, just hit the US$17-million mark on Kickstarter. And Apple is reportedly already trying to shoehorn its Siri AI in to a wireless pair of beats headphones. Can you hear that? It’s probably the future. Talking directly in to your ear.
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