The average person checks their phone more than 200 times a day. Teenagers receive, on average, 250 notifications daily – whether at school, home, or overnight. For years, apps promising to “disconnect you from the screen” have only added another icon to a screen that seems impossible to ignore.
But now, the same companies that fueled global addiction to notifications and endless scrolling are, paradoxically, seeking to cure it, according to reports from Business Insider and other outlets.
OpenAI, Meta, and Apple are preparing a recent generation of “anti-smartphone” devices – gadgets promising a calmer, more natural relationship with technology.
OpenAI is reportedly developing a portable, screenless device slated for release in 2024, built around the concept of “quiet technology.” Sources close to the company describe it as a digital alternative to escaping Times Square for a quiet cabin in the mountains – an intelligent companion capable of knowing when and why to notify you, relying on a “contextual awareness of your entire life.”
CEO Sam Altman has characterized the device as a way to reduce informational noise and provide a more natural access point to AI – not through a fatiguing screen, but as a discreet presence.
Meta has already paved the way for smart glasses, selling nearly 7 million pairs last year. The next generation, codenamed Orion, promises a fully integrated augmented reality experience powered by AI. Mark Zuckerberg has spoken of a “post-smartphone future” where glasses don’t just display information, but understand the context around you and assist without interrupting your flow. However, a firm launch date remains elusive, and the technical challenges of full AR integration persist.
Apple, the company that reinvented personal computing with the iPhone, is reportedly working on multiple portable device formats – glasses, a smart ring, and advanced versions of AirPods, according to a Bloomberg report. Rumors even suggest pendants with microphones and cameras designed as the “eyes and ears” of the iPhone. The objective: reducing physical interaction with the screen and transforming AI into a perpetually present, yet invisible, partner.
Since the iPhone’s debut in 2007, no device has replicated its cultural and technological impact. As of 2023, 91% of American adults own a smartphone – a platform with millions of apps that have replaced wallets, cameras, and fitness trackers.
“The new AI-powered devices can’t just copy what a smartphone does,” explains Ramon Llamas, director of research at IDC. “They have to demonstrate they solve a real problem. Otherwise, they’ll just be solutions looking for a problem.”
Some experts caution that removing the screen doesn’t guarantee genuine digital detox. “The screen may disappear, but a new problem emerges – the companionship of AI,” warns Olivia Gambelin, a specialist in AI ethics. A device that listens in on meetings and automatically composes emails may save time, but if it does the same in personal conversations, the risk of alienation is real.
The fundamental issue, Gambelin argues, isn’t the screen itself, but the psychological mechanism that compels us to pick it up – the dopamine rush of notifications and continuous interaction.
Experts agree that the success of these new gadgets will hinge on transformative features, not merely incremental convenience. “AI-based devices need to be contextual, personalized, and actionable,” says Jason Low, a researcher at Omdia.
Successful models already exist, such as the Oura Ring, which provides advanced sleep and health analysis and recently surpassed 5.5 million units sold. These products don’t replace the smartphone, but complement it in a refined and useful way.
Whether artificial intelligence will liberate us from screens – or simply bind us to them in new ways – remains to be seen. While Silicon Valley companies envision a phone-less future, the path ahead appears long. Time spent on screens is, a problem. But, as Altman suggests, perhaps the solution isn’t to abandon screens, but to learn to live peacefully with technology.
the screen isn’t the enemy. What calls us to it is.