At just 19, Zain Javaid has already built a company that raises eyebrows and wallets: Ghost, a computer priced at £3,499, designed to host personal AI agents. The Core device is more than just hardware; it’s a brain in a box, promising to centralise data and run AI agents smoothly, without the hassle of constant prompting.

The young founder’s vision is ambitious: to create an AI that understands and acts on your life, from health warnings to task management. But as tech evolves, will Core be more than a fancy gadget or a step towards a more integrated digital life?

Javaid’s team includes three co-founders, all in their twenties, who together have built a product that feels like the future. While the device comes with pre-installed AI models, users can also install their own or explore models from Hugging Face. The key feature is the ability to push out updates over-the-air, much like Tesla’s software updates.

Security and privacy are top priorities, with all data processed locally and encrypted. Users can control the level of autonomy given to their AI agents, ensuring they retain control over their digital lives. As for competition, Javaid is confident, crediting Apple for good hardware but focusing on software innovation.

The journey from quant to AI pioneer is a tale of youthful ambition and technological disruption, but only time will tell if Core will truly revolutionise personal computing or just join the long list of tech gadgets that promised the world.