The team explored other gadgets like smart glasses and pendants, but ultimately decided the ring was the most convenient way to interact with agents. The titanium Aina Ring connects to Macs or iPhones, and at any moment, the onboard assistant is looking for the three things you need next. It learns your routines from your personal data, like location, calendar, and email, and after you connect various third-party services in the Aina app, like Uber or Spotify.
If you usually go for a run at 6 am, as soon as you put on your running shoes, it will suggest continuing the podcast you started last night, or play music—the ring’s joystick doubles as a music-playback controller. If it’s 8:30 am and you usually take an Uber to work, it’ll suggest the ride—flick yes on the ring, and it’ll handle the task right away. If you’re running late for a Zoom meeting, Aina will ask if you want the assistant to send an email saying you’ll be late. Shankar calls these “Aina Cues,” powered by the ring’s Context Aware Operating System.
Many of these actions will likely be limited based on what apps and features are supported, though Shankar says users can create their own Cues using natural language. So if you want the ring to prompt you about turning on the coffee machine every morning at 8 am, you can configure that. If your favorite app or service doesn’t work through Aina, you can connect your preferred AI agent—like Muse or Instinct—to Aina, and they will handle the task through virtual browsers.
The display is crucial to make sure the user knows whether an action went through. “Agents today don’t respond immediately,” Shankar says. “For us to trust these devices—that what I said actually just happened—you need display confirmation.”