[DigitalToday reporter Jinju Hong] New AI startup Hark is proposing a new model of interaction between people and AI by integrating model design and hardware at the same time.

On March 24 local time, TechCrunch reported that Hark aims to implement a "complete personal intelligence product" by designing AI models, hardware and user interfaces as a single system. This is an approach that designs products around AI from the start, rather than adding AI functions on top of smartphones or apps as before.

Hark's system continuously learns and stores users' daily data and carries out real-time audio- and vision-based interactions. The core is continuous personalization that goes beyond simply executing commands to understanding a user's context and predicting and adapting. The company envisions building AI that understands people and helps them proactively like an assistant in science fiction.

Founder Brett Adcock (브렛 애드콕) said in an internal memo, "Current AI is not intelligent enough, and the devices we use were not designed around AI," adding, "We need to move toward a system that predicts and adapts and is considerate of people." He added, "We will create perfect personalized AI that listens and speaks like a person and maintains long-term memory."

Abidur Chowdhury (아비두르 초두리), head of product design who joined Hark after leaving Apple in January, also stressed personalized experience as a core value. He said, "The user experience of the future is to provide services optimized for each individual," and explained that automating repetitive daily tasks such as document writing, information sharing and reservations can reduce user burden.

He was especially skeptical about wearable AI devices that are currently in the spotlight, saying, "I do not have high expectations." He said putting a separate device layer between humans and AI has limitations and that a more natural, integrated interface is needed.

Hark currently consists of about 45 engineers and designers, including former Meta AI researchers and talent from Apple and Tesla. The company plans to conduct large-scale model training from April using an Nvidia GPU cluster and aims to unveil its first AI model this summer.

Hark is a startup founded with Adcock's personal investment of $100 million, and it has chosen a strategy of redesigning everything around AI rather than adding AI to existing platforms. In the industry, some say if this approach succeeds it could lead to a next-generation computing interface after the smartphone.

Today I'm excited to introduce Hark, a new artificial intelligence lab building the most advanced, personal intelligence in the world We've been in stealth for 8 months, assembling one of the greatest AI and hardware teams on the planet I want to explain why I started Hark and… pic.twitter.com/wWWscVTXON