OpenAI, Meta, and Apple target phone addiction with AI wearables

The average American picks up their phone more than 200 times a day, and teens get roughly 250 notifications daily. Apps meant to curb checking have done little to stop the problem, so some of the companies that helped create our screen dependence are now trying to disrupt it.

OpenAI plans to debut a small, screenless device Sam Altman calls more "peaceful" than a smartphone. Apple is developing smart glasses, a pin, and AirPods with more AI built in, with rumored pendants featuring microphones and cameras to act as the iPhone's "eyes and ears." Meta has teased its Orion augmented-reality glasses and sold about 7 million pairs of smart glasses last year—an early step toward a post-smartphone future.

Some eventual specs may still increase screen time, but they lean on AI to make interaction more hands-free than swiping and scrolling. Analysts say new hardware must solve real problems rather than offer novelty.

United States

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