Nothing CEO Carl Pei believes your work tools can be cool too. He's building one to prove it.

In the introduction to the essay published on X by Nothing CEO Carl Pei on Wednesday, it almost sounds like he’s arguing against the premise of standalone AI devices.

In Pei’s post, he suggests AI’s “iPhone moment” is still several years away. This could read as though Nothing is holding its horses rather than diving into the fray right now. But that isn’t the case; in fact, it’s quite the opposite.

“Our first AI-native product ships next month,” Pei says. “It’s a tool, but one built with the personality and care that have come to define a Nothing product. It has no new screen, and it couldn’t have been an app.”

Pei is playing it characteristically coy. He’s dropping clues, and you can bet there will be more to come in the ensuing days and weeks up until the official launch of this mystery product.

Standalone AI devices are a burgeoning industry, even if they’re yet to result in a hugely compelling, must-have consumer product. Whether it be pins, pendants, glasses, headphones or tabletop devices, tech companies are flooding the market with new native AI devices. Some companies, such as OpenAI, are working on ideas behind closed doors, whereas others, such as AI note-taking experts Plaud, are already establishing a strong and loyal customer base.

British startup Nothing is predominantly known for its retro-inspired audio products and cool smartphones , around which the company is building a cult following as an alternative to more mainstream, generic phone companies.

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