This article by Ben Thompson explores how generative AI could serve as a bridge to future wearable computing devices, similar to how the Internet enabled smartphones. The author analyzes how each major computing paradigm – from mainframes to PCs to smartphones – was enabled by developments in the previous generation’s application layer.
The piece argues that generative AI’s ability to create context-aware, on-demand user interfaces will be crucial for making wearable devices like AR glasses practical as general-purpose computers. Drawing from personal experience with Meta’s Orion AR glasses, the author suggests that future wearable interfaces will need to be minimalist and highly contextual, features that generative AI could enable.