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Tech startup Rabbit is again within the highlight, however not for the much-hyped R1 ChatGPT private system that made headlines final yr. This time the corporate is showcasing a brand new “generalist Android agent” that may management apps and carry out duties on an Android pill. Engineers demonstrated how the AI agent can deal with varied duties in a latest weblog put up and video by processing textual content prompts entered on a laptop computer and executing these instructions on an Android pill.
In the demonstration, the AI efficiently:
- Adjusted system settings by altering app notifications
- Found and performed a YouTube video
- Added cocktail elements from an app to a Google Keep grocery listing
- Generated an AI-powered poem and despatched it by way of WhatsApp
- Downloaded and performed a recreation
- Created a income plan in Google Docs and shared it with contacts
The Reality: Promising, But Slow and Unpolished
Despite its potential, Rabbit’s AI agent is much from excellent. The demo revealed that it may be sluggish, taking its time to course of duties {that a} human might full in the identical (and even much less) time. For instance, it despatched a poem over WhatsApp however did so one line at a time, an odd quirk that implies the AI nonetheless has rather a lot to be taught.
The demo, which makes use of a laptop computer to kind prompts that management an Android pill, highlights the potential of Rabbit’s imaginative and prescient: a cross-platform AI system that may act in your behalf. However, it additionally raises questions on why the corporate’s $199 R1 system—a wearable AI gadget—wasn’t concerned within the demonstration. The R1, which launched early final yr, has struggled to reside as much as its preliminary guarantees, leaving many questioning if the corporate is shifting its focus to software program reasonably than {hardware}.
What’s Next for Rabbit?
Rabbit’s new Android agent builds on its earlier work with LAM Playground, a web-based AI instrument launched final yr. The firm says that is only the start, with plans to roll out a “cross-platform multi-agent system” within the coming weeks. While the tech is cool, it’s laborious to disregard that lots of the duties proven within the demo—like including gadgets to a grocery listing or taking part in a YouTube video—are issues most individuals can do exactly as shortly (if not quicker) on their very own.
The public response has been combined. Some are excited concerning the potential of an AI assistant that may juggle a number of apps and duties, whereas others are skeptical about its present limitations. For now, Rabbit’s Android AI agent reveals potential, however it nonetheless wants refinement earlier than it turns into a really useful gizmo.
