Samsung is exploring smart necklaces, earrings as AI-powered wearables

Samsung already has the smart ring and, coming soon, smart glasses. But what about earrings or necklaces?

Samsung's COO for its mobile division Won-joon Choi told CNN that the company is exploring many different form factors for AI-powered wearables. "We believe it should be wearable, something that you shouldn’t carry, [that] you don’t need to carry," Choi said in an interview. "So it could be something that you wear, glasses, earrings, watches, rings and sometimes [a] necklace.

The advancements of AI models that can handle more complex multi-step tasks with voice prompts is a natural fit for the wearable market. Instead of relying on a screen to type or tap, users can increasingly carry out screenless requests with minimal effort. And AI labs are banking on this becoming the future of how we use our gadgets. Samsung has reportedly accelerated its development of AR smart glasses, and teased its XR headset in collaboration with Google, dubbed Project Moohan. But it is also exploring devices beyond glasses and headsets.

Choi told CNN that they're looking at all "kinds of possibilities," since some people might not want to wear glasses. OpenAI is also taking this approach with acquisition of iconic Apple designer Jony Ive. Few details are know, even less so since the company is now dealing with a trademark dispute over the name and brand. But leaked memos say the AI companion device is not XR glasses.

Products like the Humane Ai Pin and the Rabbit R1 have tried and failed with alternative AI wearables and devices. But companies like Samsung, Google, and OpenAI clearly see the potential in wearables — whatever form it takes.