'Omi' Wants To Boost Your Productivity Using AI and a 'Brain Interface' 43
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: San Francisco startup Based Hardware announced during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week the launch of a new AI wearable, Omi, to boost productivity. The device can be worn as a necklace where Omi's AI assistant can be activated by saying "Hey Omi." The startup also claims Omi can be attached to the side of your head, using medical tape, using a "brain interface" to understand when you're talking to it. The startup's founder, Nik Shevchenko, started marketing this device on Kickstarter as "Friend," but changed the device's name after another San Francisco hardware maker launched his own Friend device and bought the domain name for $1.8 million.
Shevchenko, a Thiel fellow with a history of eye-grabbing stunts, is taking a slightly different approach with Omi. Instead of seeing the device as a smartphone replacement or an AI companion, he wants Omi to be a complementary device to your phone that boosts your productivity. The Omi device itself is a small, round orb that looks like it fell out of a pack of Mentos. The consumer version costs $89 and will start shipping in Q2 of 2025. However, you can order a developer version for delivery today for roughly $70. Based Hardware says the Omi device can answer your questions, summarize your conversations, create to-do lists, and help schedule meetings. The device is constantly listening and running your conversations through GPT-4o, and it also can remember the context about each user to offer personalized advice.
In an interview with TechCrunch, Shevchenko says he understands that there may be privacy concerns with a device that's always listening. That's why he built Omi on an open source platform where users can see where their data is going, or choose to store it locally. Omi's open source platform also allows developers to build their own applications or use the AI model of their choice. Shevchenko says developers have already created more than 250 apps on Omi's app store. [...] It's unclear if the "brain interface" of Omi actually works, but the startup is tackling a fairly simple use case to start. Shevchenko wants his device to understand whether a user is talking to Omi or not, without using one of its wake words.
Shevchenko, a Thiel fellow with a history of eye-grabbing stunts, is taking a slightly different approach with Omi. Instead of seeing the device as a smartphone replacement or an AI companion, he wants Omi to be a complementary device to your phone that boosts your productivity. The Omi device itself is a small, round orb that looks like it fell out of a pack of Mentos. The consumer version costs $89 and will start shipping in Q2 of 2025. However, you can order a developer version for delivery today for roughly $70. Based Hardware says the Omi device can answer your questions, summarize your conversations, create to-do lists, and help schedule meetings. The device is constantly listening and running your conversations through GPT-4o, and it also can remember the context about each user to offer personalized advice.
In an interview with TechCrunch, Shevchenko says he understands that there may be privacy concerns with a device that's always listening. That's why he built Omi on an open source platform where users can see where their data is going, or choose to store it locally. Omi's open source platform also allows developers to build their own applications or use the AI model of their choice. Shevchenko says developers have already created more than 250 apps on Omi's app store. [...] It's unclear if the "brain interface" of Omi actually works, but the startup is tackling a fairly simple use case to start. Shevchenko wants his device to understand whether a user is talking to Omi or not, without using one of its wake words.
The.. what is it? (Score:5, Insightful)
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Based only on the summary and the limits of today's bleeding edge technology... if the pitch is at all honest it's probably a Bluetooth headset in the format of a pebble you glue to the side of your head like an idiot, that links to an app on your phone.
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And then you pay $ continuously as some "service", no doubt.
This stuff is super-creepy. It is a lot like the stupid smart glasses concept, which people dubbed "glass holes." Its bad enough to give away all your own privacy, much worse to do it to everyone else around you all the time.
Re: The.. what is it? (Score:3)
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This product increases our productivity. [...] This results in a higher wage.
You can't possibly be serious.
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"can be attached to the side of your head, using medical tape"
Oh, sure, that'll be the next big fashion statement.
ROTFL!
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Although we should totally sell temporary face scar kits on TikTok. The health and wellness people will buy anything.
Re:The.. what is it? (Score:5, Interesting)
Based on TFA, which is rather thin, it appears to be an AI assistant device -- similar to the the features AI features some teleconferencing systems have which will write up summaries of meetings for you. The brain interface evidently is intended to allow you to use it without speaking, but the immediate goal appears to be to just get the device to recognize whether you *intend* to use it or not. This solves the problem you would have if you were an iPhone user and had a Norwegian friend named "Siri". Since "Omi" is also a human name (Japanese), they'd have the same problem.
It's always annoyed me that you can't customize the activation phrase for smart phone assistants. It would be easy to do, but I guess it's part of their branding. I guess the next step is to make thought patterns branding too.
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It's always annoyed me that you can't customize the activation phrase for smart phone assistants. It would be easy to do, but I guess it's part of their branding.
They don't want you changing the name of your wonderful device to "Shithead" or "Idiot"...
"Hey Wiretap, can my dog eat pancakes?"
In the near future, you will be able to change the wake-word: you will be able to configure any number of wake phrases. So that you can surreptitiously activate the AI and recording without people knowing. This feature will be unimportant, once it is normalized that everyone is recording all the time, their AIs are always active, and that mega-corps are getting a complete feed of
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There will be communes or gated communities where people are not allowed to use the devices.
And the inevitable scandals when the rules are violated. I am already writing the murder mystery.
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Sounds like the Humane Pin, 2025 Edition - an expensive and underwhelming answer to a question nobody is asking.
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I can't tell either. However, given that his name is Shevchenko, I do know where he wants the product buried when it dies.
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Apparently it babies you. "Omi" translates in a lot of languages to "Mommy".
Through the wearable AI devices, the mega-corps see all, hear all. They can even read your thoughts. The Corps is mother. The corps is father.
Personally, I'm going to change the wake-name of my device to "Daddy-O". At least I will be hip!
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I think you managed to understood perfectly well what it is and what it does: A made-up product to make a scam artist money.
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Based on other comments etc, it seems the product is an AI assistant (like Alexa, Sini, Friend?), and the brain interface thing is to irritate the living shit out of you.
I'd summarise it at "humans are yet to make a voice assistant that isn't annoying, so we're going to make a brain assistant that far more annoying rather than try to solve the problems with the voice assistant".
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max storage 320GB* (Score:2)
max storage 320GB*
*size with disk PEMEX Doubler not all types of data can be compressed up to 320GB
Bidi bidi bidi (Score:1)
Dr Theopolis on a necklace!
Like that pin failure... (Score:2)
Re:Like that pin failure... (Score:4, Insightful)
The prize is getting into your head ... literally. Smartphones monetize your attention, and it's worth a lot of money even though it feels invisible to you. This is about the only way to top that: to have something that's literally glued to your head and doesn't require any overt action on your part.
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Are rich investors this detached?
Have you looked at what utterly stupid ideas get funding?
Ah! Well fuck them! (Score:2)
With Brillo.
Another contender for gold... (Score:2)
...in the olympics of crappy ideas
So, another "Rabbit" (Score:5, Informative)
Remember the "Rabbit"? It was marketed as a "portable AI companion", and it duplicated functions that are already available on a smartphone. No one bought them. I don't know if they're still making them.
The hook here for investors is the idea that the device can function as a "brain interface". The chance that you can create a brain interface by attaching a device to your head with tape is precisely zero.
At best, you might be able to create a very primitive EEG (although even this would require multiple electrodes, not just one-- a headband would be more realistic than a "Mentos shaped device" taped to your head). I've played with primitive, consumer-grade EEGs. The most you can ever hope to accomplish with them is to train yourself to generate simple yes/no signals, a la Captain Pike. And that only works if you are very patient and hold very, very still.
If only there was a way to "short" a Kickstarter project, the way you short a stock...
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Yes, they wrote the Kickstarter that way so that an investor might look at it and say "well, I guess in theory it might conceivably work for that", rather than "this is obvious nonsense".
But if you've ever tried playing around with this sort of biofeedback machine, you already know what the problem is... it's not like you just think the words "hello Omi" to yourself and the binary "yes" signal goes up and the microphone activates. It's more like, concentrate on getting yourself into a certain mental state,
"Thiel Fellow"?? You mean a scared gawker killer (Score:1)
"Thiel Fellow". There's a "fellowship" and unlike the cool one about the one ring this one is.. what... about puttin news sources our of business.
Peter Thiel is nobody's hero
Nobody is going to be wearing this neclace.
Disconcerting for Austrians... (Score:2)
As someone who had a wonderful Viennese grandma whom I called Omi, this naming feels very odd to me. However, if this device is going to make me farfel, gefilte paprika, creamed spinach, and all the other dishes of my childhood, I'll forgive it for almost any sin.
Re:Disconcerting for Austrians... (Score:4, Funny)
As someone who had a wonderful Viennese grandma whom I called Omi, this naming feels very odd to me. However, if this device is going to make me farfel, gefilte paprika, creamed spinach, and all the other dishes of my childhood, I'll forgive it for almost any sin.
I prefer to imagine the name pronounced differently, with George Takei saying "Oh, my!" :-D
I have to chuckle about that name. (Score:4, Funny)
You're kidding, right? (Score:1)
At a loss (Score:2)
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I'm at a loss to see what this could do that a wireless microphone or Bluetooth earbud to your phone could not?
Collect revenue for Nik Shevchenko.
Why he's go not friends? (Score:1)
Is that the problem he is trying to solve?
Can I propose talking to some humans, face to face, in a friendly fashion. You can start perhaps by asking if they have seen that movie, or comment on the weather or what you like about their choices today. Maybe don't immediately judge them on their appearance, what they can do for you or how you can scam them.
You can have that idea for free, no charge, no gizmo or funding round required.
Worse than "Meta" (Score:2)
Anybody think we'll keep control of our data? (Score:2)
"That's why he built Omi on an open source platform where users can see where their data is going, or, FOR NOW, choose to store it locally.
Fixed that for ya, Nik.
Headline reaction: NO! (Score:2)
It's bad enough they want this shit shoved in our face everywhere else. I will *NOT* tolerate the barely tolerable shit we currently call AI being directly interfaced to my brain. Fuck them, twice, with a rusty chainsaw deliberately and viciously, just for the idea.
After reading the summary, they aren't even doing what the headline says. Just sticking some tech bauble on your head that listens for you to address it like a more idiotic version of Siri. In that case, perhaps fuck them not quite as deliberatel
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With the advent of LLMs, I'm constantly wondering how many websites and the businesses or not behind them are AI mirages simply there to convince people to send some money with PayPal.
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I was only going to make them drink water containing cyanobacteria and n. fowleri, but that works too. With the advent of LLMs, I'm constantly wondering how many websites and the businesses or not behind them are AI mirages simply there to convince people to send some money with PayPal.
One of my management team found out about this and is all excited about it. This is the trouble with these misleading headlines. It's not going to increase productivity. It's only going to cause annoyance for anyone forced to wear one of these moron markers in public. Good grief.
Do you really want a rando co transcribing IRL? (Score:2)
And also it makes you look like a huge sci-fi, glasshole dork.
But why add BCI? What could it possible ever do to need that?
Also thinking about how some BCI startups are really intent on implanting thousands of nano IR sensors into peoples brains.. that category is chocked full of nucking futs.
They're delusional and VCs are enabling these fevered mirages.
Just what the world needs - constant GPT use (Score:2)
The world is on fire from climate change and they want to waste GPT cycles on constant conversation monitoring. Makes sense.
Hey Siri, pay attention to everything I say from now on, forever, but only use like 3% of it so I can update my grocery list without needing to grab my phone. Please don't track how much energy that uses.