Initially, Limitless aims to help with preparation and recall of workplace discussions. Over time, it intends to expand its capabilities significantly.
The Limitless Pendant doesn’t immediately suggest it’s an AI device. When Dan Siroker, the CEO of the company that created it, shows it to me on Zoom, it looks like a round, rubber-like gadget similar to an older Fitbit that clips on.
However, what Siroker is actually presenting is a device designed to be clipped to your shirt or hung around your neck. Its purpose is to record everything you hear and use AI to help you understand and remember it.
The Limitless Pendant is being introduced today as a component of the complete Limitless system. (And yes, it is indeed a nod to the film.)
Originally, the Limitless Pendant was named the Rewind Pendant when it was first previewed by the company. Limitless has comparable goals but goes beyond just functioning on your computer. It is designed to gather data from both the cloud and the real world, making it accessible on any device.
Rewind is still available for those who prefer a completely local setup on a single computer. However, Siroker believes that the potential for a cross-platform system is significantly greater.
“The core job to be done is initially around meetings,” Siroker tells me. “Preparing you for meetings, transcribing meetings, giving you real-time notes of meetings and summaries of meetings.”
For a monthly fee of $20, the app will record audio from your computer’s microphone and speakers. You can also allow it access to your email and calendar.
With this setup — and eventually, all the other apps you use at work, according to Siroker — Limitless can greatly assist in keeping track of your conversations. Questions like “What was the new app mentioned in the board meeting?” or “Which restaurant did Shannon recommend for next time?” or “Where did my last meeting with Jake leave off two weeks ago?” can all be answered.
In theory, Limitless can retrieve this information and use AI to provide it whenever you ask. Siroker and I spoke the day following the initial reviews of the Humane AI Pin. He made sure to highlight how his company’s strategy differs from these comprehensive AI tools.
“We’re trying to do a few things exceptionally well, not be a mile wide and an inch deep,” he says. “We’re not, you know, trying to reinvent the wheel with lasers.” His idea is to incorporate Limitless into all the apps you already use.
However, just a few minutes later, Siroker’s ambition takes over, and he begins to envision a much larger future for Limitless. There’s no “don’t do too much” faux-humility allowed here.) “You know, of course it’ll do the generic fun facts, Perplexity, OpenAI stuff,” he says.
“The next step is proactive, and not reactive. I have access to your email, I have access to your Slack messages — when you get a message for which the context of your past can help answer it, I can just give you that draft.”
Once Limitless masters this, he explains, it will focus on AI agents that act on your behalf. Limitless would then manage everything for you, making everything wonderful.
After a minute, Siroker checks himself and admits, “But that’s a much more difficult problem to solve.” For the time being, the focus remains on meetings.
On its own, the initial version of the Limitless system isn’t particularly unique. Nearly every meeting tool now includes AI features to highlight important points and tasks; there are countless transcription apps; and numerous startups aim to slightly improve meeting efficiency for a small monthly fee.
Siroker is optimistic about Limitless’s capabilities, partly because Rewind has already been performing well. However, he acknowledges that meeting AI is likely just a feature rather than a standalone product.
The Limitless Pendant, set to ship in August, could be a game-changer. Priced at $99, this device is designed to be worn constantly.
Siroker mentions it has a battery life of 100 hours and utilizes beam-forming technology to record voices clearly, focusing on the speaker rather than background noise in places like coffee shops or auditoriums.
An LED indicates when it is recording. Additionally, the Pendant includes a “Consent Mode” which only records new voices after they consent to being recorded, though this feature is not enabled by default. All recorded data is uploaded to Limitless, combined with your other data, and accessible via your apps.
No doubt about it: Limitless is determined to be a major AI gadget, matching the capabilities of those from Meta, Rabbit, or Humane. However, the strategy isn’t to impress with cutting-edge hardware or futuristic ideas that are years away.
The goal is to identify an AI-solvable issue, tackle it, and then address the next one. Preparing for meetings might not be the most thrilling use of AI, but it’s effective. And that’s likely the right way to begin.
What we think?
I think Limitless will be popular at first because it helps remember details from meetings. It’s like having a helper that never forgets. Over time, as it learns more from emails and messages, it could really change how we work.
But, there are many apps that do similar things. It will need to be very special to stand out. I am curious to see how it will handle privacy and keep all that information safe.
