The age-old advice is to never buy the first generation of new tech products. Give developers time to iron out the bugs before diving in. Now, two years into the AI revolution, we’re still waiting for the big breakthrough. Despite the hype, AI has not yet lived up to its promises. In 2024, AI-specific devices flopped, and AI on traditional computers didn’t make a strong impact. Most applications still rely on cloud computing, and the main AI applications seem to be aimed at putting coders out of business or flooding the internet with junk. On-device AI for consumers has yet to produce any killer apps. Big tech is now banking on “agentic” AI to make a splash in 2025. However, the current AI features have failed to excite Apple and Android users, leaving big tech in need of a game-changer. The AI wearable market is also struggling, with devices like the Humane AI Pin and Rabbit R1 falling short of expectations. The promise of device-specific AI has repeatedly been unfulfilled, with many products lacking in performance and plagued by issues. The ‘AI PC’ has also failed to materialize, with chipmakers touting their neural processors but falling short on delivering meaningful AI applications. The Copilot+ PC release was underwhelming, with few useful AI features. Microsoft’s Recall feature, meant to give PCs “photographic memory,” faced delays and security concerns. Apple’s AI features arrived late in 2024, leaving much to be desired. As we look towards CES 2025, the future of AI devices remains uncertain, with hopes pinned on agentic AI to finally deliver on the promises of AI technology.
