SpaceX has an AI device prototype, and it sure sounds phone-ish

Elon Musk‘s SpaceX has shown investors a prototype of a ‘handset-like’ AI device, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The prototype is reportedly slimmer and slimmer than an iPhone, which makes us wonder if it’s something between a small touchscreen phone and a Rabbit R1. SpaceX reportedly showed off the device to investors and stakeholders before it went public, telling them it was in the early stages and the design could still change.

Musk has denied the reports, calling it “completely false.”

SpaceX, along with sister company Tesla, has the manufacturing expertise to produce a number of AI devices at scale – not to mention access to the chips needed to power the computer on the device. SpaceX has also indicated that it would like to expand into wireless, with Starlink Mobile as a potential competitor to Verizon and AT&T. One analyst even went so far as to speculate as much T-Mobile or AT&T would be nice acquisition targets for the rocket maker, although such a purchase would undoubtedly be pricey.

It’s also not clear whether SpaceX is just throwing spaghetti at the wall or whether it will try to actually mass-produce and commercialize such a device. But one thing that seems clearer is that if OpenAI does it, Musk might want to try to do it better.

As we know, OpenAI is working with Apple’s former chief designer Jony Ive on an AI device that CEO Sam Altman claims will be more peaceful than an iPhone. Reports last fall suggest the company is struggling to get the details right, and OpenAI recently brought in another Apple executive to possibly help get things going. Last week, news broke that Paul Meade, Apple’s vice president responsible for the Vision Pro headset, has joined OpenAI’s hardware team.

Like OpenAI, SpaceX’s prototype is reportedly designed to run on a proprietary operating system and integrate technology from xAI, Musk’s AI company that SpaceX acquired earlier this year. This would prevent these new devices from getting stuck on another company’s platforms (such as Google’s Android). But the intention also seems to be to create something new, with native AI interfaces. That said, the graveyard is full of failed AI device launches from companies like Humane and Rabbit. A company wanting to sell an AI device does not equate to consumers wanting to buy something like that. Yet.