Consumer technology company Nothing will launch its first artificial intelligence (AI)-native product next month, CEO Carl Pei has announced, while arguing that the future of AI lies in productivity tools rather than standalone consumer gadgets.
In an article titled 'Toolmakers', published on Thursday, Pei said the upcoming product would have no new screen and could not have been developed as an app. He did not disclose its name, features or pricing.
Pei said the technology industry was currently looking for the next big AI device, such as smart glasses, wearable pins, pendants or AI companions. However, he believes the search for an AI equivalent of Apple's iPhone is premature.
According to him, AI is still at an early-stage of development and its biggest opportunity lies in helping people perform everyday tasks more efficiently.
Drawing a comparison with the evolution of personal computers and mobile phones, Pei said new technologies first gain acceptance through workplace applications before becoming widely adopted by consumers.
He argued that AI would follow a similar path, with productivity applications driving its adoption before the emergence of a major consumer device.
Pei also identified the lack of context as one of the biggest limitations of existing AI tools. While AI models and agents have become increasingly capable, they still lack sufficient information about users' daily activities, conversations and work.
Users often have to connect their emails, calendars and workplace communication platforms or manually provide background information to get useful responses from AI systems.
He believes that bringing this context closer to AI could make the technology more useful and allow AI agents to handle routine tasks proactively, giving people more time for creative and strategic work.
Pei also stressed the importance of design in workplace technology, arguing that productivity tools should be functional as well as attractive.
He said Nothing was well positioned to develop such products as it designs both hardware and software and already has tens of millions of devices in consumers' pockets and ears.
The upcoming launch marks the company's move towards AI-native products, although Pei did not reveal further details about the device.
