In the realm of artificial intelligence, the AI startup Rabbit has recently made waves with its compact R1 gadget, which has rapidly sold 40,000 units within its first eight days of launch at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The R1 stands out due to its specialized Rabbit OS, which acts like a versatile virtual assistant providing seamless interaction across a plethora of popular apps. With engagement capabilities stretching from text messaging to controlling music, making purchases online, and much more, the operating system utilizes an advanced “Large Action Model” for its dynamic interactions.
The gadget itself, a result of a collaboration with Teenage Engineering, is noted for its distinct design that mirrors half the size of an iPhone, sporting a 2.88-inch touchscreen, a scrolling navigation wheel, and a rotating camera, drawing design parallels with the Playdate gaming console. Such attributes contribute to its unique stand-alone status in the market of AI technologies.
The Perplexity’s AI answer engine
Rabbit has not only succeeded in piquing interest due to its device’s capabilities but also through its subsequent actions in the tech arena. A notable development is Rabbit’s collaboration with Perplexity, which has heralded the promise of integrating a conversational AI answer engine into the R1. This integration means the device will not be restricted by the confines of a knowledge cutoff, enabling it to deliver live and current answers to user queries. Moreover, the first 100,000 customers who invest in the Rabbit R1 will receive a one-year complimentary subscription to Perplexity Pro, which regularly costs $20 per month and grants users access to leading-edge LLMs such as GPT-4.
Despite the significant sales and buzz encompassing the R1, opinion is still divided among prospective users. Certain consumers remain sceptical, questioning the impact of the latest AI tech on issues such as privacy, security, and the practicality of another voice-activated assistant in their tech ecosystems. Nonetheless, preorders for the third batch of the R1 are available, with the delivery expected to happen no earlier than May, demonstrating the anticipation and the trust consumers have placed in Rabbit’s innovative product and the burgeoning potential of AI-powered devices.