Two former Apple engineers built an AI wearable that activates when you tap it and say it is designed to fix what other AI gadgets got wrong about privacy

A couple of former Apple engineers have created an AI wearable with one key difference, which they say solves a huge problem in the market.

AI has exploded in popularity in recent years, and it’s now the norm to turn to your AI chatbot for some help or implement an AI agent to tackle your workload. 

For most of us, AI lives on our phones or computers, but there are moves to bring it further into the physical world.

Devices like the Meta smart glasses and the Apple Vision Pro already benefit from AI, but there’s also been a rise in standalone AI wearables. 

Button is an AI wearable that does things differently

Several companies have launched AI wearables, including the Friend device that hangs around your neck. 

At this year’s CES, Motorola showcased its own AI necklace, while Apple is also rumored to be working on its own device. 

However, some folks were more than a little put off by the fact that these wearables are ‘always listening’. 

But former Apple engineers Chris Nolet and Ryan Burgoyne think they have the solution and have launched their own AI wearable company called Button. 

The duo says Button is doing something different, and it all comes down to a… well, a button.

Unlike other AI wearables, to activate Button, you need to press a button. 

“Button doesn’t listen to your private conversations,” the website explains. 

“It can only hear you when you press it.” 

The device then responds either via its built-in speaker or over your Bluetooth headphones, if you fancy even more privacy. 

“We don’t track you,” the site explains.

“Button won’t notify you or distract you. It’s a computer that follows your read – a tool that you control.”

The idea came after one creator had an ‘icky’ feeling about the device

The device looks a bit like the old iPod Shuffle, with a large central button you can press when you want to talk to the AI bot. 

Nolet says the decision to make the wearable dependent on the button came after he had a conversation with someone wearing a different AI wearable, and later learned the entire thing had been recorded. 

“It really freaked me out,” he told Wired. 

“It’s one thing if I make a conscious decision to share something, but that’s totally a different thing. If people are just wearing around these pendants, or they’re recording all of our conversations, I think it feels a little icky to me.”

Button is also designed to have a ‘rapid response time’, so it’s always on hand when you need it without having to reach for your phone or open up your laptop. 

Button is available to preorder now for an introductory price of $179, and is expected to start US shipping in December. 

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