Rabbit R1: Reviews of widely-hyped AI device say it is a ‘mess’ and not ready

Gadget claims to be the future of personal devices – but is not ready in the present, critics say

(Rabbit )

The Rabbit R1, a widely hyped gadget devoted to artificial intelligence, is a “mess” and not ready, according to some early reviews.

The product is not yet ready and does not work as it should, reviewers have said.

The Rabbit R1 was introduced earlier this year, and aims to bring artificial intelligence into a small, easily accessible form factor. It includes a microphone and speakers so that people can ask the weather, for instance, and a wheel to scroll through the information that it shows in response.

It followed the similarly hyped AI Pin, from Humane. When reviews of that product were first released, earlier this month, many complained that it lacked basic features and was nowhere near its aim of replacing or even augmenting a smartphone.

Now the Rabbit R1 has been met with negative reviews of its own – though not quite as damning as those for the AI Pin.

Critics argue that the product is not ready and that it appeared to have been rushed to market. Basic features do not yet work, which is frustrating even if the company has promised new ones will come through updates.

The product is still unable to set alarms or reminders, start timers, take pictures or videos or navigate, for instance. Rabbit has said that some of those features are coming in the future.

But YouTuber Marques Brownlee – who had been among the most prominent critics of the AI Pin – argued that those missing features spoke to a broader problem within the tech industry.

“This is the pinnacle of a trend that’s been annoying for years: Delivering barely finished products to win a “race” and then continuing to build them after charging full price,” he wrote on X/Twitter. “Games, phones, cars, now AI in a box.”

Other critics said that it simply did not perform well enough to be useful.

“Even at the relatively affordable price point of $199, I simply don’t get the point of Rabbit r1,” wrote Techradar. “It’s not replacing or augmenting my phone. It’s not intuitive enough that I find comfort and satisfaction in using it. I don’t see how the market can or will support a product that is so far from being ready for the mass consumer.”