Over the last few months, I’ve spent a lot of time talking to my computer. One underrated feature of the LLM revolution has been a remarkable leap in all kinds of dictation technology — even the fastest, cheapest models are getting very good at understanding and processing speech. I’ve tested lots of these apps, from WisprFlow to Monologue to Spokenly to Handy to so many others, and have found them all to be useful ways to quickly write emails, Slack messages, and more.

Smart rings are looking like my kind of AI gadget. While everyone tries to make smart glasses, pins, and everything else happen, the most subtle device might be the best device. But nothing has convinced me of the future of talking to my computer quite like a demo I got recently from Mina Fahmi. The Stream ring is a more introverted device, focused on capturing your voice rather than everyone else’s.

The Stream ring has three jobs: to start a chat with an AI assistant, to take notes, and to dictate text. Right now, most of those things happen in the Stream companion app. But that's not the right long-term answer, nor is it Sandbar's long-term plan. Ultimately, devices like these should be connected to all the other tools you use, so that you can chat with whatever assistant you want, take notes straight to your existing app, and dictate into any text box anywhere.

A few companies are already working on this kind of AI ring. Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky created the Index 01 for the same reason Fahmi built the Stream: He needed the fastest possible way to get ideas, reminders, and notes out of his head. There’s also Vocci, a more meeting-focused version of the same thing.

Most of these are not finished or shipping products, but I’m increasingly compelled by the prospect of talking more with my devices — and increasingly convinced that there's no better place to put a microphone than on my finger. Smart rings don't try to replace or obviate your phone — they just let you keep it in your pocket a lot more often.