Omi: Wearable AI that Listens, Learns, and Never Switches Off

Nik Shevchenko’s latest venture, Omi, is a wearable AI assistant that aims to redefine how we interact with technology — by reading your mind. Or at least, that’s the eventual goal. Currently, Omi is a round device worn on your temple or as a pendant that listens to your conversations and delivers personalized insights, notifications, and action items. It’s a step toward creating AI companions that feel more human and intuitive, bridging the gap between voice assistants like Alexa and future brain-computer interfaces.

Shevchenko believes that for AI to be truly helpful, it must go beyond simply responding to voice commands. Omi can already detect when users are speaking directly to it without needing a wake word and can summarize meetings, provide real-time information, and even suggest action items. For example, during a demo, Omi quickly answered a question about Bitcoin prices, delivering the information via its companion app. With an always-on microphone and no wake word, it positions itself as a seamless part of users’ daily routines.

Omi’s potential doesn’t end with basic tasks. The device’s open-source platform already includes 250 apps, allowing developers to integrate Omi with services like Zapier and Google Drive. Shevchenko envisions Omi as more than just a device — he sees it as a platform for creating personalized AI mentors, capable of delivering advice, feedback, and nudges when needed. His personal Omi experience includes a “Persona” feature that allows him to chat with an AI version of Elon Musk, offering guidance on his projects.

Despite its promise, Omi is far from perfect. The brain-computer interface side of the device remains experimental and rudimentary, relying on a single electrode to detect when users are talking to it. Notifications from the Omi app are sometimes off-target, and the system struggles with accuracy. However, Shevchenko is unfazed by these early hurdles, pointing to Omi’s iterative approach and its reliance on AI models from OpenAI and Meta for continuous improvement.

The idea of always-on AI assistants isn’t new, and Omi faces competition from other wearables like the Limitless Pendant and Friend. The latter even sparked a public feud between Shevchenko and Friend CEO Avi Schiffmann, with accusations of idea theft and a bizarre freestyle rap diss track. Despite the drama, Shevchenko believes Omi’s open-source approach and broader app ecosystem will help it stand out in a crowded market.

There’s no denying that AI companions are becoming increasingly common, from wearables like Omi to chatbots like Character.AI and Replika. The challenge now lies in making these assistants more useful and less intrusive. Shevchenko’s vision for Omi involves making the device a true digital companion, always ready to assist and learn from users. However, the technology raises privacy concerns, especially with an always-on microphone capturing every word.

While Omi’s journey toward mind-reading is still in its infancy, the wearable represents a bold attempt to push the boundaries of human-AI interaction. Whether consumers are ready to embrace an AI device that listens to them 24/7 remains to be seen. But as AI evolves, it’s clear that the line between digital assistants and true AI companions will continue to blur.

Acknowledgements

• Inspired by David Pierce’s article “Omi is another AI companion wearable — but this one’s trying to read your mind”, published 8 January 20025 on The Verge.