I’m already surrounded by AI. I don’t need ChatGPT living beside my bed

AI is becoming increasingly present in our lives, from phones to home appliances. Rumors suggest OpenAI and Jony Ive are developing a small, screenless AI speaker resembling a doughnut. This device could be portable, battery-powered, and equipped with microphones, cameras, sensors, speakers, lights, and even moving parts. While AI assistants currently act as helpful tools, a dedicated home companion could change this dynamic.

Cameras and microphones would allow the device to understand the environment and provide more contextually aware, human-like interactions. However, this raises significant privacy concerns. Smart speakers have long waited for wake words, and phones alert users when apps access their microphones or cameras. Recent AI hardware focuses on sound input, with Meta reportedly developing an AI pendant and concerns surrounding smart glasses.

Privacy is a growing worry, with restaurants banning smart glasses and an app to detect them. My own relationship with AI is limited to convenient assistance, but a hardware companion in the bedroom would be a different matter entirely. Physical controls, such as a microphone kill switch and physical shutter, are essential for maintaining privacy in such an intimate space.

Until OpenAI and Jony Ive address these concerns, my phone will continue to provide ChatGPT access whenever needed, and my bedside table will remain AI-free.