Despite numerous screenless gadgets under development, displays are unlikely to vanish in the near future.
A January 1st headline indicates that Silicon Valley has seemingly initiated a “war on screens.” The piece featured OpenAI’s hardware initiative, envisioned as a screenless gadget conceived by ex-Apple designer Jony Ive. OpenAI acquired Ive’s firm, io, in May for a reported $6.5 billion, and Foxconn is said to be contracted to produce up to 50 million units, despite the device not being fully designed yet.
Further expert opinions suggest a comprehensive shift towards “zero UI” ambient computing, intended to supersede smartphones and similar screen-dependent gadgets. Proponents claim the future will rely on audio output and inputs driven by voice, gestures, and sensors.
A notable pattern observed at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was the emergence of various devices capable of recording, analyzing, and providing AI-powered assistance without demanding visual attention.
Numerous technology startups are developing screenless AI hardware. For example, Sandbar, established by former Meta staff, offers a smart ring named Stream, which functions as a subtle controller for audio and voice recordings, facilitating user interaction with digital assistants. Additionally, Eric Migicovsky, creator of the original Pebble smartwatch, is presenting a $75 ring equipped with a button for recording voice notes that an AI processes on a smartphone.
Bee presents itself as another continuous, screen-free wearable (wearable as either a bracelet or necklace) that discreetly monitors conversations through its microphone, subsequently utilizing AI to generate summaries, identify reminders, and provide insights from the detected discussions. Amazon acquired Bee in July.
Reports suggest that even Apple is entering the screenless wearable sector; the prominent Silicon Valley company is said to be crafting an AirTag-sized gadget capable of interpreting voice commands, hand gestures, and other visual data. (Lenovo and HP are also producing screenless AI devices.)
These devices are more feasible today than ever before due to advancements in miniaturized duplex audio. This technology allows for continuous, two-way conversations, enabling AI to be interrupted or to speak concurrently with the user in a natural manner.
Even as these screenless gadgets become widely available, parents, educators, and schools are growing more anxious about the impact of excessive screen time on children. For instance, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a fresh policy statement in January titled “Digital Ecosystems, Children, and Adolescents,” which revises its guidelines concerning media usage by children. This guidance signifies a notable departure from merely emphasizing stringent “screen time” limits, suggesting that while limiting screen time is crucial, it’s insufficient; a comprehensive reevaluation of how children engage with technology is necessary.
Moreover, a report published this month by The Business Research Company forecasts that the market for screenless, ambient computing devices will surpass $200 billion by 2030.
Upon encountering this information, an ordinary reader could mistakenly conclude that a shift away from screens is underway and that AI wearables will lack displays. However, this assumption isn’t entirely accurate.
Screens will remain part of the future
A closer examination of screenless wearables reveals that none are intended for standalone operation. Instead, they function as accessories for devices featuring screens, like smartphones.
While audio AI glasses, such as the Ray-Ban Meta type, offer impressive capabilities, the trajectory for AI glasses leans more towards models like the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, incorporating one or two screens directly into the lenses.
It’s improbable that companies such as Apple would introduce alternatives that compete with their own widely adopted screen-based products. Complete screenlessness is best suited for children, or at least, it ought to be.
Yet, a significant challenge arises: schools are implementing widespread bans, moving in a contradictory direction.
Educational institutions struggle to adapt
Globally, educational leaders and schools are removing smartphones from classrooms to minimize distractions and promote student mental well-being. By 2024, approximately 40% of countries had implemented bans on phones in schools.
Within the United States, the initiative to remove phones from schools exemplifies an uncommon area of bipartisan consensus. By September, 35 states had enacted legislation or regulations prohibiting cell phone use during class. States including Texas, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and Louisiana have all instituted school phone bans, as has Los Angeles, CA (a district serving over half a million students).
Both Europe and Asia are imposing comparable stringent regulations. France pioneered this movement by banning smartphone use in elementary and secondary schools in 2018. The Netherlands introduced its ban in January 2024. Last August, South Korea passed legislation preventing students from using mobile phones during instructional time. Australia has taken even more extensive measures, extending beyond banning phones in public schools. (Furthermore, the Australian government decided in December to completely forbid social media for individuals under 16 years old.)
Beyond prohibiting smartphones, many of these legislative bodies and school districts are also outlawing screenless wearables. Smartwatches are primarily banned by schools due to concerns that these devices could still cause distractions and facilitate cheating during examinations.
Indeed, school districts in the four major states—California, Texas, Florida, and New York—have outright forbidden all types of wearables.
However, it’s worth noting: even if parents perceive smartphones as detrimental to their children, they still desire the ability to communicate with them and track their whereabouts. This functionality could be provided by screenless wearables such as watches.
Prohibiting screenless wearables is not practical
Children and teenagers should be permitted, and ideally encouraged, to utilize screenless wearable devices, particularly watches. These gadgets offer features that boost productivity, such as timers, alarms, and reminders. They also provide children with access to informational resources and allow parents and students to communicate. Crucially, they achieve all this without incorporating addictive, harmful functionalities or gamified social elements.
Furthermore, attempting to ban wearables is unrealistic. The majority are diminutive in size. If schools worry about haptic disruptions and academic dishonesty, they should consider that these devices can easily be concealed in pockets, socks, or other areas on or within clothing.
The sole method for enforcing such a prohibition would necessitate a comprehensive search of every student daily before classes—an approach that is both highly impractical and objectionable.
Conversely, schools, parents, and teachers ought to collaborate in endorsing optimal screenless wearables for students, presenting a feasible substitute for compulsive smartphone and screen engagement.
The truth is, AI’s complete omnipresence is on the horizon. This includes both its harmful manifestations, such as the proliferation of ‘AI slop,’ and its beneficial iterations. The latter category encompasses screenless wearables that provide convenient access to AI chatbots and other functionalities, circumventing the detrimental, attention-depleting, and sleep-disrupting impacts of smartphones and visual social media.
While a screen-free future for all may not be imminent, it is certainly advisable for children.
